Sunderland manager David Moyes must shrug off another outbreak of injury woes as his side's mini-revival meets the stiff test of a trip to title contenders Liverpool on Saturday.
Back-to-back wins at Bournemouth and at home to Hull City last Saturday have given Moyes and supporters reason to believe the season can be rescued from its appalling start.
But the loss for the rest of the season of midfielder Paddy McNair, one of Moyes' three summer signings from Manchester United, robs him of a player who was at last beginning to impress.
Who will win?
The manager, already coping with news the combative and often inspirational Lee Cattermole will be out for a further four months, is under no illusion about the importance of losing a player to a torn anterior cruciate ligament just as he was starting to find his way in the Premier League.