Sunderland 0 Millwall 1: Highlights as Duncan Watmore goal gives visitors big win at the Stadium of Light

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Sunderland’s Championship match against Millwall at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory at West Brom last weekend, while Mike Dodds’ side have kept five clean sheets in their last six matches.

We’ll have all the build-up ahead of the game, as well as in-game analysis and post-match reaction. Stick around and refresh the page for live updates.

We’ll start with the Sunderland team news.

It’s hoped that both Dennis Cirkin (below) will be able to return from a hamstring injury before the end of the season, yet today’s match will come too soon for the full-back.

Corry Evans could return to the squad after over a year out with an ACL injury.

Nazariy Rusyn and Elliot Embleton remain sidelined, along with long-term absentees Niall Huggins and Jenson Seelt.

Here’s what Sunderland boss Mike Dodds had to say about Millwall in yesterday’s press conference:

“Neil Harris has done extremely well in terms of getting the absolute maximum amount out of what he's got at his disposal.

 “They are really well organised in particular out of possession and they are a real threat on transition. A lot of their goals, since Neil has come in, are via transitions and as always, they are a threat from set pieces.

 “He has got a really well-organised team which gives you a really strong foundation in the games and he's got two real obvious threats in terms of set pieces and transitions, so results are picked up for them.

 “It's going to be a really difficult game and we are going to have to make sure we manage all those bits in particular out of possession.”

Since Neil Harris was reappointed in February, Millwall have taken 13 points from 15 available at home. Away from The Den, the Lions have won just once under Harris this year, beating Southampton in his first game in charge, while losing matches against Leeds, Rotherham and Huddersfield.

Back-to-back home wins against Leicester and Cardiff have moved Millwall six points clear of the relegation zone with three matches remaining this season.

Former Sunderland players George Honeyman and Duncan Watmore are both injury doubts ahead of today’s fixture.

Here’s what Millwall boss Harris had to say about Millwall’s relegation battle and today’s match:

“We don’t want to be relying on other scores to get us over the line now – so far we have done the business ourselves to drag ourselves into a lot healthier position, in 16th, and looking at teams above us, as well.

“We are going to Sunderland looking to add to the points tally. Of course we are in a much better position – everyone can see that. But we can’t stand still. I’m not here to allow people to stand still. We need to keep driving forward.

“We want to get back to positive results on the road. That’s a huge part of my thought process in my mind as well, we’re not happy with the defeats we’ve had of late away and I want to put that right.”

Here are our predicted line-ups for today’s match:

Predicted Sunderland XI: Patterson, Hume, O’Nien, Ballard, Alese, Neil, Ekwah, Rigg, Aouchiche, Clarke, Bellingham

Predicted Millwall XI: Sarkic, Leonard, Tanganga, Cooper, McNamara, Norton-Cuffy, Mitchell, Saville, Watmore, Flemming, Obafemi

“To bounce back and keep three clean sheets in a row following the disappointing performance against Blackburn Rovers shows the character in the group.

“Five clean sheets in six games has given us a strong platform to build on. We want to be more fluid in possession, but we look like a very tough team to play against.

“Our focus now is to give you something to shout about as the season comes to a close.

“We know today’s game is going to be another tough test – Millwall are a well-drilled team who have picked up some crucial wins over the past month or so to steer away from the relegation places.

 “They will provide a different threat to what we have faced recently, but that’s the challenge this division presents and it’s a challenge that we, as a team, have to embrace.

“Your support at Leeds and West Brom last week was incredible and as ever, I’m sure you’ll be right behind us this afternoon.”