The Sunderland players who have been handed a big opportunity to impress in U23 season opener

The Black Cats are set to take on Burnley away from home at 2pm, in a behind-closed-doors fixture.

Senior trio Remi Matthews, Arbenit Xhemajli and Conor McLaughlin are all set to start for Elliot Dickman’s side as they bid to improve thei rmatch fitness and stake a claim for Phil Parkinson’s senior side.

A number of the club’s promising youngsters have also started.

Morgan Feeney, Brandon Taylor, Jack Diamond and Dan Neil are all be involved as they seek to make an impression of their own.

SAFC team: Matthews, Xhemajli, Feeney, Taylor, McLaughlin, Hackett, Neil, Dunne, Wearne, Diamond, Currie.

The game has come just too soon for Elliot Embleton, who is nearly recovered from a thigh problem picked up in pre-season.

After a difficult campaign last time out and two years of debiltating departures from key age groups, Parkinson has already said he wants the side to operate as a ‘reserve team’ this year, strengthening his options and making the U23s more competitive in the league.

We've brought in players for the U23 team who want to push to be involved in the first team,” he said.

“The two lads from Hartlepool, Morgan Feeney, and that's important for the club.

“It's important for the progression of the academy because if you have players in the U18 team who you want to step up, it's very difficult when that U23 team is being beaten convincingly every week.

“I really want to see that team be competitive….

"With the the Salary Cap situation, there is a £2.5m cap, you are allowed 22 players over 21 but you are allowed U21s in your squad - the likes of Feeney, Neil, Embleton, Diamond are so important, they thicken up the numbers in the squad but don't count towards the finances or the numbers,” he added.

“For the future of the club as well, we’ve got to build the academy back up.

“We’ve got to have players wanting to sign for our academy and wanting to stay there because they see that there are chances to get in and around our first-team squad.

“All those players who’ve been with us during pre-season, a couple went back to play for the U23s earlier this week in a friendly. As I said, we want that team to be almost like a reserve team where there is that integration of players.

"Myself, Jim Rodwell, the board and academy staff have been discussing all summer how we want the U23s to play the same shape as the first team and want that crossover between the two teams, and in turn also strengthen that team up as well because we want to be more competitive in that division."

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