Alex Neil's big Stoke problems plus Wayne Rooney's plan: What Sunderland can expect from next five fixtures

Sunderland will return to Championship action this weekend - with Tony Mowbray’s side set to play five games in 22 days before the next international break in November.

The Black Cats remain fourth in the Championship table despite a 4-0 defeat against Middlesbrough last time out. Here are Sunderland’s next five opponents and how they are shaping up ahead of the next block of fixtures.

Stoke (A) - Saturday, October 22

Alex Neil’s Stoke side have won just one of their last eight league games and slipped to 21st in the table ahead of back-to-back home games against Sunderland and Leeds.

The Potters have been dealing with several injury issues and only had two recognised defenders available for their 2-0 defeat against Leicester last time out - when midfielder Josh Laurent had to move into the side’s makeshift back four. Neil is hopeful some of his senior players will be able to return for this weekend’s match against Sunderland, yet key defender Ben Wilmot has been ruled out for around three months with a knee issue.

Stoke have signed former Newcastle defender Ciaran Clark on a deal until the end of the season, while goals have been hard to come by at the other end of the pitch. Top scorer Andre Vidigal, who has scored four times in the league this season, has recently returned from an injury setback though.

Leicester (A) - Tuesday, October 24

Enzo Maresca’s side are the Championship’s form team after winning their last six league games, making it 10 wins from 11 so far this season.

The Foxes have dominated possession, averaging 62.1% (only Southampton with 62.5% have recorded more), and are the division’s second highest scorers (behind Ipswich) with 23 goals. Those goals have also been split around the team with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Kelechi Iheanacho, Jamie Vardy and Kasey McAteer all on five in all competitions this term.

Maresca has set his Leicester side up in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system, with an emphasis to build from the back, yet the side’s shape does change with defender Ricardo Pereira regularly moving infield in an inverted right full-back role. An injury to former Sunderland defender Callum Doyle has left Leicester’s squad short of left-sided defenders though.

Norwich (H) - Saturday, October 28

Despite taking 10 points from their first four league games, Norwich’s form has dipped in recent weeks, with just two wins in their last seven Championship matches. That run included a 6-2 defeat at Plymouth in September, with David Wagner’s side second in the Championship for expected goals against (according to Wyscout) - behind only Rotherham.

While Norwich have the third highest average age in the second tier, 20-year-old winger Jonathan Rowe has been The Canaries’ standout player this season, scoring six league goals playing on the right or left flank in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Despite the side’s defensive woes, former Sunderland centre-back Danny Batth hasn’t been able to break into Norwich’s starting XI following his deadline-day move to Carrow Road, with the centre-back pairing of Ben Gibson and Shane Duffy starting every league game so far this season.

Swansea (A) - Saturday, November 4

After losing their head coach and last season’s top scorer in Russell Martin and Joel Piroe over the summer, Swansea went seven league games without a win at the start of this campaign under new boss Michael Duff.

Duff faced criticism from supporters following the side’s challenging start as fans questioned his defence-first style. Results did turn before the international break, though, with Swansea winning four consecutive league games against Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall, Norwich and Plymouth, conceding just two goals in that run.

There has also been a change in shape, with Duff switching from the rigid 3-5-2 system he also deployed at Barnsley last season to instead play with a back four. In midfield, Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino, 19, is establishing himself as a regular starter alongside captain Matt Grimes, while summer signing Jerry Yates scored his fourth Championship goal of the season in a 3-1 win over Plymouth last time out.

Birmingham (H) - Saturday, November 11

We’ll get a better idea of what to expect from Birmingham over the next few weeks, after The Blues parted company with head coach John Eustace and replaced him with Wayne Rooney over the international break.

Rooney will take charge of a Birmingham side which has won their last two matches, scoring seven goals in victories over Huddersfield and West Brom, and sit sixth in the table. Their 15 goals this term have been spread around the team, with summer signings Siriki Dembele and Jay Stansfield both scoring three since their arrivals at St Andrew’s.

When discussing how he wants his Birmingham side to play, former Derby and DC United boss Rooney said: “In terms of how I want my team to play, I want them to be brave. These are messages I have given to my players at Derby County and DC United. I want them to be brave, I want them to take risks.

 “They are going to make mistakes, that is normal in a game of football. Players make mistakes. How many times do you see a midfielder and you hear the crowd getting on players’ backs because they play backwards or sideways? I want the players to play forwards. We have got really good attacking players in this squad, so we have to use them. We have to get them the ball, we have to get crosses into the box and back it up.”