Sunderland will attempt to steer their Premier League survival campaign back on course at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday after a bitterly disappointing run of six games they never showed signs of winning.
The hope inspired by a sequence of four wins in seven games, ending with a 1-0 home victory over Watford on Dec. 17, has all but vanished.
Weakened by injuries and an alarming lack of depth, as well as absences at the African Nations Cup, Sunderland are back in dire trouble, relegation looking ever more likely. West Brom, in contrast, are enjoying a highly encouraging season in which Tony Pulis has led them to eighth place to confound critics of his style of play.