A Friday night showdown between two big clubs kicks off the schedule as Leeds United head to league leaders Sunderland.

This season’s Championship didn’t start with the kind of oomph Leeds would have wanted after the departures of Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray and Georginio Rutter – but they seem to finding their feet as they make their ascent up the table.

Though Daniel Farke’s men only managed a 1-1 draw on their midweek trip to Carrow Road, Sunderland enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 victory against Derby County that saw them take top spot.

The Black Cats are riding high and boast an impressive record at the Stadium of Light with four wins from four, but have been fallible of late, having lost to Watford and Plymouth on their last two away trips.

Aside from that, from a purely entertainment perspective, two of the Championship’s best attacking units will face each other: Jobe Bellingham, Patrick Roberts, Wilson Isidor and Romaine Mundle for Sunderland against Willy Gnonto, Mateo Joseph, Brenden Aaronson and Largie Ramazani for Leeds.

The Whites also face the challenge of stopping Sunderland’s attacking threat without the services of midfielder Ilia Gruev and captain Ethan Ampadu, with both regular starters absent for “months” due to knee injuries.