Ellis Simms was missing as Sunderland made one change to the side that started the midweek win at Reading. Simms limped off in the first half with a toe injury against the Royals but Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray had said yesterday he was hopeful the on-loan Everton striker would be fit to face Watford.
But Simms was not in the matchday 18, and his place in the starting line-up was taken by Elliot Embleton - the man who had come off the bench to replace him at the Madejski Stadium. That meant Alex Pritchard started in the false nine position he has occupied to great effect after Simms had gone off against Reading.
With Embleton promoted from the bench, Mowbray included new signing Abdoullah Ba amongst his subs for the first time. Sunderland defender Luke O'Nien was lining up against the club where he began his career.
READ MORE: Watford vs Sunderland LIVE: Full coverage from Vicarage Road as the Black Cats take on the Hornets
Watford boss Rob Edwards made five changes, in his case to the side that lost 2-0 at Blackburn in midweek. He brought in William Troost-Ekong, Keinan Davis, Hassane Kamara, Yaser Asprilla, and Kortney Hause, in place of Vakoun Bayo, Christian Kabasele, Francisco Sierralta, and the injured Ismaila Sarr and Jeremy Ngakia.
You can follow the game as it happens in our matchday live blog here, with all the analysis and reaction as it happens.
Today's teams
Sunderland: Patterson, O'Nien, Batth, Alese, Gooch, Evans, Neil, Clarke, Roberts, Embleton, Pritchard
Subs: Bass, Dajaku, Diallo, Ba, Bennette, Matete, Hume
Watford: Bachmann, Cathcart, Troost-Ekong, Hause, Pedro, Choudhury, Sema, Kamara, Asprilla, Davis, Kayembe
Subs: Okoye, Gosling, Bayo, Kabasele, Kalu, Sierralta, Hungbo
READ NEXT:
- Sunderland's Tony Mowbray on playing 'football-savvy' Alex Pritchard as a false nine
- Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray explains defender Bailey Wright's absence at Reading
- Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray makes Blackburn transfer admission amid Niall Huggins injury update
- Ellis Simms scan inconclusive but Tony Mowbray 'hopeful' Sunderland forward could still face Watford
- Patrick Roberts on Sunderland's Plan B, and how it worked at Reading
