2 Sunderland selection dilemmas Tony Mowbray is facing ahead of Blackpool showdown | OneFootball

Sunderland will be hoping to make a return to winning ways in the Championship on Tuesday when they host Blackpool at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats have drawn their last two league games against Watford and Preston North End.

As a result of their stalemate with the Lilywhites, Sunderland dropped down to eighth in the Championship standings.

Having witnessed his side’s performance against Preston, it will be interesting to see whether Black Cats manager Tony Mowbray opts to make any significant alterations to his starting eleven tomorrow.

Here, we have decided to take a look at two Sunderland selection dilemmas Mowbray is facing ahead of the club’s showdown with Blackpool…

Could Abdoullah Ba be handed a start?

After overcoming an injury that he sustained whilst on international duty with France’s Under-20 side, Abdoullah Ba made a cameo appearance for Sunderland in their meeting with Preston.

Whereas the 19-year-old was unable to help his side to secure all three points in this fixture, he did provide one key pass and make one interception (as per WhoScored) at the Stadium of Light.

If Mowbray is looking to freshen up his options in the heart of midfield, Ba could potentially be given the nod to start.

In order to bolster his chances of featuring regularly during the remainder of the campaign, Ba will need to produce an eye-catching performance against Blackpool.

Will Dennis Cirkin be deployed as a substitute?

Ahead of tomorrow’s game, Mowbray has confirmed that Dennis Cirkin is set to return to the club’s match-day squad.

Cirkin has not featured for Sunderland since sustaining a hamstring injury in their 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough at the start of September.

Utilised as a centre-back during the opening stages of the season, it will be interesting to see whether Cirkin continues to feature in this role.

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Depending on the situation that Sunderland find themselves in during the latter stages of Tuesday’s fixture, Cirkin could be deployed as a substitute by Mowbray.

Providing that he doesn’t suffer another injury setback, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the 20-year-old reclaims a spot in Sunderland’s starting eleven in the not-too-distant future.