Sunderland are on the lookout for their fourth win in succession in the Championship as they host Cardiff City at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.
The Black Cats are unbeaten in their last five league fixtures and have scored at least three goals in each of their last three outings – against Southampton, Queens Park Rangers, and Blackburn Rovers.
Who scored for Sunderland against Blackburn?
Tony Mowbray's side beat his former club 3-1 on Wednesday night and the goals came from Jack Clarke (two) and Dan Neil to secure all three points at Ewood Park.
The former Tottenham Hotspur winger dispatched his first goal from the penalty spot, after winning the foul himself, before jinking past two players and the goalkeeper to tap the ball into an empty net for his third.
Neil scored the second goal of the game for Sunderland, which put them 2-1 up at the time, as his strike from the edge of the area found the bottom corner.
It was a difficult evening for one attacker, though, as Mason Burstow struggled and Mowbray must now ruthlessly ditch the Chelsea loanee in order to finally unleash Luis Hemir Semedo.
How has Burstow performed this season?
The 20-year-old centre-forward was brought in on loan from the Blues towards the end of the summer transfer window and has sturggled in his first two Championship starts.
He has averaged a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.55 and failed to provide a goal or a 'big chance' created for his teammates in 126 minutes on the pitch.
His lack of physicality has also been on full display as the young marksman has lost a staggering 87% of his duels in the division for Sunderland so far.
Should Semedo start against Cardiff?
Semedo has only started one Championship match so far this term but his form for Benfica at youth level prior to his move to the Stadium of Light suggests that the potential is there for him to be an asset for the club.
The 6 foot 4 titan, who has won 30% of his ground duels in the league this season, was hailed as a "real threat" in the air by journalist Josh Bunting and could offer more than Burstow in that regard, who has lost 87% of his aerial battles.
During his time with Benfica, the 20-year-old finisher produced 21 goals in 44 games for their U23 team and ten goals in 14 Youth League outings for the Portuguese side, which is an average of one goal every 1.87 clashes across the two sides combined.
Whereas, Burstow scored 11 goals in 30 games for Chelsea at U21 level and that works out as an average of one strike every 2.72 matches.
Therefore, Semedo, who scored two goals in three pre-season matches for Sunderland, has the potential to offer more to the team as a goalscorer if he can hit his stride and translate his academy form over to first-team level for the Black Cats.
This is why, in reaction to Burstow's recent struggles, Mowbray must finally unleash the Portuguese striker against Cardiff for the first time since the opening day of the season against Ipswich.
