Brentford welcome Sunderland to Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday as Keith Andrews’ side look to build on their impressive start to the Premier League season.
Ahead of the game, Sunderland Echo writer Phil Smith discusses the Black Cats’ summer transfer business, the excitement surrounding their return to European football and the player Brentford must keep a close eye on.
Sunderland lost 2-1 at Ipswich in their Premier League opener. How did they get on in that game and what did you make of it?
They played okay in the opener, to be honest. They started well, missed a couple of decent chances, made a mistake and were punished, which shows the ruthlessness of the Premier League.
The frustration was that, despite getting themselves back into the game, they made another poor error and gifted Ipswich another goal, really.
The feeling coming away from the game was that they had not played badly and should, at the very least, have got a point out of it, even though Ipswich did play well.
I would say there was frustration, but no real panic about the performance, because it was not particularly poor, they just looked a little bit rusty and, as I said, mistakes were punished.
What would you say about their approach in the transfer window and the signings they have made?
The club were really clear from day one this summer that they wanted some stability and quality over quantity.
Last summer, they understood the gap between the Premier League and the Championship was so vast that they felt they had to build a new team. This summer, they wanted to give those players the chance to build on what they did last season.
It has probably been frustrating for fans at times and there is definitely a little bit more work to do, but I would say it has been fairly calm as well.
We all anticipated there would be a lot of interest in Sunderland’s best players; Chelsea bid for Granit Xhaka, for example. The fact all those players have stayed has been massive in reassuring people that the team is in a good place.
It has been quieter, but a big part of that is because the club have been successful in not just keeping Xhaka, but some of their best young players as well. They were very clear the plan was going to be to give this team the chance to kick on again.
The club will soon be playing European football for the first time in over 50 years. How excited is everyone about the adventure that is about to begin?
Everyone is absolutely buzzing - that is the only way I can describe it!
It was such an incredible final day because everyone knew that there was a chance that, if Sunderland did the business, they could get into the Conference League, and the Europa League felt like a stretch because so many results had to go their way.
The atmosphere in the last 10-15 minutes of the Chelsea game, when it became apparent that was actually happening (outside derby games against Newcastle) was the best I have ever witnessed. It was like a party.
There is that slight worry about the extra games and what impact that could have on the Premier League, because it is going to be a demanding schedule. But because it has been so many years, everyone completely understands that this kind of thing does not come around very often.
Hopefully it will become a regular thing, but it might not, so everyone is absolutely determined to embrace it.
The only thing I would say is that, if you speak to the manager or the director of football, they would be very, very clear that the Premier League has to be the priority for all the reasons everybody knows.
Which player should Brentford fans be keeping an eye out for on Saturday?
The player who impressed me most at the back end of last season and coming into this one is Enzo Le Fée. Brentford fans will probably associate him with that Panenka penalty last season at the Gtech!
To be honest, that was probably the only bad moment in the season for him. He ended up with double figures for goal contributions which, for a newly-promoted side and a creative player like him, was a fantastic achievement.
Physically, he looks stronger and he has really adapted to the Premier League. He has moved into a more central position from where he was last season, when he started drifting in off the left, and he just looks like he is loving his football.
He is someone I love watching because he is creative, but he also does not mind getting stuck in as well. If he can stay fit, touch wood, he is ready for a really big season.
A lot of neutrals and people outside of Sunderland will start talking about him if he keeps up the form he has been showing.
What should Keith Andrews’ side expect in terms of style and shape?
The closest formation would probably be a 4-2-3-1, but it is a little bit lopsided.
At the moment, the right winger very much drifts in field to play almost as an extra central midfielder and you will see, whether it is Nordi Mukiele or Thomas Meunier, come forward from right-back to play almost as a winger, so the winger will drift in field, and the full-back will crash on.
Other than that, it is a fairly traditional system. Xhaka is the holding midfielder, Le Fée is the no.10.
Last season, the teams won one game each. What’s your prediction for this one?
I cannot ever predict Sunderland to lose, but I was mightily impressed with Brentford in the game at the Gtech last year.
Even though Le Fée missed that penalty, I thought Brentford were the better side and I have got a lot of respect for how tough they are to play at home.
I will be coming in with the mindset that if Sunderland can come back to the north east, that would be a positive step forward. I will go for 1-1.