Abdoullah Ba explains Sunderland target ahead of tough Middlesbrough test at the Stadium of Light

Abdoullah Ba hopes to improve the goalscoring side of his game this season after netting Sunderland’s second in their 2-0 win over Watford.

The attacking midfielder, 20, scored once in 29 Championship appearances during his first campaign in England, after joining The Black Cats from French side Le Havre in 2022, and has already doubled that tally this term.

“The gaffer has given me very good confidence and I’m very happy as a player and I’m happy to help the team,” Ba told Sunderland’s website after the win over Watford. “I hope to score more goals, maybe five, six, seven this year. I’d be very happy.”

Sunderland are preparing for Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light, with Michael Carrick’s side also in good form after winning their last three league games.

“We have another game against Middlesbrough and I hope to get three points again and go into the international break and relax,” Ba added. “It is going to be a tough test, every game is different and we just have to keep going and believing and work together.”

Ba replaced Alex Pritchard in Sunderland’s starting XI against Watford, with the latter likely to remain sidelined for the Middlesbrough match due to a calf strain.

Midfielder Pierre Ekwah and playmaker Bradley Dack will also be unavailable for Tony Mowbray’s side until after the international break, along with Dennis Cirkin.

Sunderland will return to action when they travel to Stoke on Saturday, October 21. The Black Cats will then face Leicester, Norwich, Swansea and Birmingham before another international break in November.