It was Bristol City's first home game of the season in the reverse fixture when Alex Neil's Sunderland ran out 3-2 winners.
Plenty has changed since the beginning of August including the Black Cats' appointment of manager Tony Mowbray while three City players who started that game in goalscorer Chris Martin, Dan Bentley and Han-Noah Massengo, have all left the club.
While City's season has peaked and troughed over the last seven months, Sunderland's has gone from strength to strength and they head into the fixture harbouring play-off ambitions sitting fifth in the table. For the visitors, their revival in 2023 means Nigel Pearson's side will feel confident about putting a dampner to those plans.
A 1-1 draw on Wednesday night at home to Wigan may have felt relatively disappointing, but their unbeaten record now stretches to 10 games in all competitions. City haven't lost in their last three visits to the Stadium of Light including a 2-1 victory in their last trip courtesy of goals from Bobby Decordova-Reid and Milan Djuric.
Pearson has no fresh new injury concerns to deal with and therefore it will be the same squad that will travel to Sunderland without Kal Naismith and Tommy Conway who remain sidelined. The City manager made three changes in the week to his starting line-up and he's expected to make a couple of tweaks once again this afternoon.
Here's how we think City will shape up later today...
Goalkeeper and defence
It's remained one of the most consistent areas of the team for Nigel Pearson for two reasons. One being the back four and Max O'Leary have forged an understanding that has built the foundations for City's run of form.
City haven't conceded more than one goal since the 4-2 victory over Birmingham six games ago which is notable progress given the difficulties of last season. The other is that the City manager doesn't have many defensive options at his disposal.
The goal conceded in the 1-1 draw against Wigan on Wednesday night was soft and a lapse in concentration which would have frustrated Pearson but there's no reason to chop and change for the trip to Sunderland. Max O'Leary will keep his spot in goal ahead of new signing Nikita Haikin who will have to wait patiently for his opportunity.
George Tanner has cemented his place as first choice right-back although he'll have to deal with the competition of the returning Kane Wilson in the near future. The summer signing earned more minutes on Monday night as the Under-21s defeat QPR in the Professional Development League.
Pearson conceded last week that Wilson still has a long way to go before being considered for first-team selection and there's an understandable caution not to rush him back into action. Rob Atkinson grabbed his fourth goal of the season on Wednesday with a bullet header from close range and he'll start again alongside Zak Vyner.
Cam Pring will undoubtedly keep his place on the left given his run of fine form and his physical presence and pace on the flank could prove vital up against the tricky Patrick Roberts.
Midfield
Kal Naismith remains sidelined with a calf injury and similarly to the defence, Pearson's options in the middle of the park are limited. He resisted the temptation to rest either Joe Williams or Alex Scott against Wigan with both players just one booking away from a two-game suspension.
Fortunately, both players escaped without picking up a booking with Williams taking extra caution not to get involved with any handbags towards the end of the game even with James McClean trying to goad him down on the touchline. Scott was also substituted with 13 minutes left to play against Wigan, with an eye on the midfielder being available for the challenge this afternoon.
With Matty James maintaining his impressive and consistent form, he will form the base of midfield with Williams and their roles will be crucial if City are to pick up a result. It's been over three months since Sunderland failed to score and they'll need to maintain their concentration and discipline with the likes of Amad Diallo able to create opportunities if he's gifted too much space.
Scott will play ahead of those two in the No10 position but he may need to drop deeper and look to break on the counter. It's these sort of games where the 19-year-old's quality and ability to drive the ball forward from deep can prove hugely beneficial.
Andy King will be on the bench again and could be utilised in the final 20 minutes if City are holding on while Pearson has the likes of Andi Weimann and Anis Mehmeti to feature in the No10 position if he makes a change late on.
Strikers
Pearson raised a few eyebrows by switching all three of his attacking players to take on Wigan and provide a much-needed rest for Sam Bell, Nahki Wells and Mark Sykes. The manager said before the game they hadn't fully recovered from the victory against Norwich given their intensity to press from the front.
It handed the opportunity for Andi Weimann, Harry Cornick and Anis Mehmeti to take their chances and while there were glimpses on some smart link-up play against Wigan, City registered one shot on target. Mehmeti was the standout out player on his full debut, providing a superb assist for Atkinson before hitting the post in the second half.
Pearson was full of praise for the 22-year-old after the game mentioning his ability to create something out of nothing. Saturday could be a game where they may need a moment of class to prove the difference and therefore Mehmeti may get the nod over Sam Bell.
That would seem harsh on the City youngster who has scored four in his last six matches given his breakthrough earlier this year. However, his pace from the bench may prove important against tiring legs in the final 20 minutes of the game.
Cornick started in that central striker's role ahead of Wells and while there were signs of his combinations alongside Weimann, he still needs time to adapt to the tactics and his new team-mates. He's likely to come back to the bench with Pearson turning to Wells following his 30-minute cameo on Wednesday.
On the right, Weimann's final ball let him down in a typically industrious performance. However, given it was his first start in six weeks following a hamstring injury, there's every possibility he needs minutes to get back to levels of performances he showed last season and the first half of this campaign.
Therefore, Sykes could come back into the frame and will look to build on his goal tally however his defensive work alongside Tanner could be just as important.
Bristol City (4-3-3, probable): Max O’Leary; George Tanner, Zak Vyner, Rob Atkinson, Cam Pring; Joe Williams, Matty James, Alex Scott; Mark Sykes, Nahki Wells, Anis Mehmeti
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