Derby County are looking to bounce back from their controversial defeat against Norwich City when they travel to Sunderland.
Derby were beaten 3-2 by Norwich on Saturday but two of the visitor’s goals shouldn’t have stood as the ball went out of play twice in the build-up.
It was the Rams first home loss of the season and that is a feeling they’ve become all too familiar with on their travels, as they’re yet to pick up a point away from Pride Park.
Changing that narrative looks an increasingly difficult task up against Sunderland, who currently sit second in the Championship table after winning five of their first seven games.
Regis Le Bris’ men are also unbeaten at the Stadium of Light with the likes of Patrick Roberts, Jobe Bellingham and Romaine Mundle all flourishing.
Mundle, a January arrival from Standard Liege, has sparked into life since Jark Clarke left for Ipswich Town in the summer, with the 21-year-old scoring three goals in five starts.
The talented English winger is the Black Cats’ key danger man who Derby will need to be wary of on Tuesday night.
Sunderland expert explains how Derby County can stop Romaine Mundle
Sunderland’s tactic under Regis Le Bris involves quickly getting the ball into their wingers, Roberts and Mundle, who can make magic happen in the final third.
Cutting in from the left, the 2003-born winger will pose a huge threat to right-back Ryan Nyambe, with the Namibian international needing to be fully switched on for ninety minutes.
Mundle possesses exceptional pace and fleet-footed dribbling that make him a danger for most opposition full-backs but Sunderland expert and journalist Luke Phelps has picked out a weakness Derby must target, and that is his temperament.
“For me, Romaine Mundle could be the main man here,” Phelps told Derby County News.
“He’s been in fine form since Jack Clarke left with three goals in seven Championship games, with his pace proving to be a real issue for opposition full-backs.
“But not only is Mundle fast, and good with the ball at his feet, he’s proving to be really clinical inside the box, scoring goals similar to Clarke last season where he cuts inside and finds the bottom corner.
“Derby’s best bet would be to aggravate Mundle; he’s shown poor temperament on a couple of occasions this season, with opposition full-backs often looking to wind him up and unsettle him.
“The Rams may have to play dirty here. Even then, though, it might not be enough to stop Mundle from firing Sunderland to victory.”
Derby County must be aggressive vs Sunderland
Derby know that Sunderland will dominate most of the possession in this fixture but the Rams must do their best to disrupt the rhythm of the game.
If they let the hosts get the ball down and zip it around the surface, they will be constantly barraged by attacks, with Mundle and Roberts looking to terrorise their opposing full-back.
However, by quickly pressing in numbers and deploying an aggressive tactic – as alluded to above – Derby can find joy playing on the counterattack.
In recent away defeats, particularly against Sheffield United, Warne’s men did well for most of the game but couldn’t carve out enough clear cut chances to win, and were instead undone by a piece of quality.
Derby will be keen to avoid a similar narrative unfolding here and disrupting the flow of Sunderland’s play is their best bet.