Former Sunderland star makes Leeds United admission and picks out defender among three main threats
A former Sunderland star on Sunday’s visit of Leeds United to the Stadium of Light.
Ex-Sunderland star Kevin Phillips has picked out three Leeds United players as main threats in a stern Black Cats warning for Sunday afternoon’s Premier League clash at the Stadium of Light.
Leeds and Sunderland went up together from the 2024-25 Championship but in very different ways, Leeds promoted as Championship champions and Sunderland winning the play-offs after defeating Sheffield United in the play-off final.
Leeds finished 24 points ahead of fourth-placed finishers Sunderland but the Black Cats then soared to a brilliant seventh-placed finish on last season’s top flight return, the Wearsiders ending up seven points and seven places higher than Daniel Farke’s Whites in 14th place.
But the tables have turned again seven games into the new Premier League season, Sunderland currently sitting bottom of the pile ahead of Sunday’s visit of Leeds who are riding high in seventh place.
Speaking in his blog on BestBettingSites.co.uk Phillips admitted the Black Cats needed a result against Leeds but also made an admission about the type of opponent that his former side were now facing.
The former Black Cats star also picked out striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, midfielder Anton Stach and defender James Justin as particularly key threats.
“It’s a big, big game for Sunderland,” said Phillips.
“They need a result, but they’re coming up against a team that’s got some really, really good players, a very, very good team, and physically a very, very good team as well, so they know they’re going to be in for a battle.
“He’s a nuisance”
“I think the obvious one that stands out is Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He’s an absolute handful on his day. He’s a nuisance, he’s good in the air, he’s good at holding it up, he’s got energy, his work rate, and he can score goals. You put the ball in the box, and he’s very, very good in the air. So he’s the most obvious one.
“I think James Justin on that right-hand side, up and down, energy, he creates goals, gets into good positions. And again, he’s a constant threat.
“And I think Anton Stach in the midfield area, he’s been one of their better players this season, one of their best players, a very, very accomplished midfield player and very, very good at set plays as well. And when you’ve got a player like Calvert-Lewin who can jump, that’s a recipe for success.
“So those are just three, but I think you need to be wary of the whole team. They need to match them. So a big, big game, but I would say those three are the players to look out for.”