Will Grigg in? The Sunderland selection dilemmas facing Phil Parkinson at Rochdale - and what our writers would do

Sunderland travel to Rochdale this evening with Phil Parkinson weighing-up some big selection calls.
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After a first league defeat of the season at the weekend, Parkinson could be tempted to rotate his squad – while the hectic schedule could also see some players rested.

But what would our writers do? Here, Richard Mennear and Mark Donnelly pick their teams for the trip to the Crown Oil Arena:

Richard Mennear

Sunderland striker Will GriggSunderland striker Will Grigg
Sunderland striker Will Grigg
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Phil Parkinson will be forced into at least one change at Rochdale this evening with Luke O'Nien serving a one-game ban after seeing red against Portsmouth.

Tom Flanagan will surely come back into the side on the left of the back three and as long as he maintains his standards then the experiment of O'Nien in the back three will come to a close moving forward.

O'Nien's suspension will likely mean Lynden Gooch retains his place at right wing-back for now at Rochdale and getting the best out of him is key for Sunderland this season.

Our columnist Stephen Elliott touched on his quality this week, it's about producing it consistently and making the right decisions.

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It would perhaps be harsh on Charlie Wyke given he scored against Portsmouth but I'd be tempted to start Will Grigg away at Rochdale, alongside Chris Maguire.

Sunderland need a result after the disappointing performance and result against Pompey.

SAFC XI: Burge, Gooch, Willis, Wright, Flanagan, Hume, Leadbitter, Scowen, Power, Maguire, Grigg

Mark Donnelly

While Sunderland’s performance against Portsmouth was disappointing, it was hopefully nothing more than a blip.

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Goals may not have flowed as freely as would have been hoped, but Sunderland's performances have been encouraging on the whole.

And it’s for that reason that I think it’s unlikely that Phil Parkinson will make wholesale changes for the trip to Rochdale.

He's a manager who trusts in the process and won’t make any major knee-jerk decisions – although there will of course be at least one change to the side.

With Luke O’Nien suspended, Tom Flanagan is set to return to the starting line-up – while it will be interesting to see whether Jordan Willis is rested having only recently returned to full fitness.

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I'd still stick with him at the back though, and restore the back three that had served Sunderland so well prior to Flanagan’s red card at Portsmouth.

The only other change I would be tempted to make is in the centre of the park.

Josh Scowen wasn’t as influential as usual against Pompey and, with the Black Cats requiring an extra bit of attacking impetus, it could be an ideal opportunity to bring Aiden O’Brien back into the side.

He could prove key in stretching the Rochdale backline and creating space for the likes of Chris Maguire – who could really influence the game.

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Up top, Charlie Wyke has cemented himself as the first choice for the time being. It would be nice to see Danny Graham and Will Grigg handed an opportunity from the bench at some point during the game, as the sooner the duo get off the mark in the league, the better.

SAFC XI: Burge, Gooch, Willis, Wright, Flanagan, Hume, Power, Leadbitter, Maguire, O’Brien, Wyke