TONY MOWBRAY has named his starting XI for Sunderland's Championship opener against Ipswich Town, unsurprisingly going with the same team that played against Real Mallorca in last week's friendly.
That means Luke O'Nien partners Dan Ballard at the heart of the defence, Pierre Ekwah and Dan Neil are paired in midfield and Jobe Bellingham starts at No.10, in support of Hemir, who leads the line.
Trai Hume and Dennis Cirkin are the full-backs, with Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke on the flanks.
New signing Nathan Bishop is on the bench, as is Danny Batth, despite the transfer speculation linking him with a move to Blackburn Rovers.
Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, O’Nien, Cirkin, Neil, Ekwah, Roberts, Bellingham, Clarke, Hemir
Substitutes: Bishop, Rigg, Triantis, Pritchard, Bennette, Ba, Gooch, Batth, Huggins
Ipswich Town:Hladky, Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Morsy, Luongo, Davis, Chaplin, Broadhead, Hirst
Substitutes: Slicker, Leigh, Ball, Evans, Taylor, Harness, Hutchinson, Jackson, Lapado
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