3 things to look out for in Sunderland v Ipswich Town | OneFootball

Sunderland will be desperate to get off to winning ways on Sunday as they look to put their play-off heartbreak behind them.

Although they did extremely well to secure a top-six finish in the first place, they will be gutted not to have come out on top in the semis after taking a lead into the second leg.

They may have lost players since their defeat at Kenilworth Road - but they have also added to their squad and will be hoping to compete at the top end of the Championship table once again.

Ipswich Town, on the other hand, will be fully focused on survival at first following their promotion from League One, but could secure a very respectable finish under Kieran McKenna.

The former Manchester United coach has been exceptional since his switch to Portman Road - and it will only be a matter of time before he gets poached if he can impress during the upcoming campaign.

The squad deserves a lot of respect too - because they fought off competition from Sheffield Wednesday to secure an automatic promotion spot and with this in mind - they will be no mugs.

Heading into this weekend's clash between the two sides, we take a look at three things you should be looking out for at the Stadium of Light.

Will Hemir be able to cope with the demands of the Championship in his first game?

The Black Cats only have a limited number of forward options at this stage with Ross Stewart still out - and that could benefit Hemir who has played regularly during pre-season.

He's only 19 at this stage and with this in mind, it remains to be seen whether Tony Mowbray has enough faith in the teenager to start him against the Tractor Boys.

Hemir hasn't played in the English second tier before and ideally, Mowbray would have had him on the bench. But with his options limited, the 59-year-old may be keen to play him from the start.

The likes of Jack Clarke and Jewison Bennette could potentially do a job up top - but Hemir may be the more natural option and his performance is certainly one to look out for.

If he can perform well, he may even be able to keep Stewart out of the starting lineup. There will be plenty of eyes on him on the opening day - and he will have a golden opportunity to impress if he starts.

Can Pierre Ekwah continue to impress?

Just from watching him in the play-off semi-final first leg at the end of last term, you could tell Ekwah had adapted to senior football extremely well.

Although he was inexperienced, he had the advantage of being new and with this, there wasn't a huge amount of expectation.

But now he has showcased what he can do, can Ekwah come back and put in an opening day performance that can be proud of?

This will be his first full season in senior men's football and with this in mind, he's still inexperienced. But he could play a big part in winning the midfield battle against Sunday's opponents.

Will Omari Hutchinson make a big impression on his senior debut?

There has been a lot of excitement about Hutchinson and just how promising he is - even impressing some of Chelsea's supporters with some of his performances.

However, he's in a completely different environment now and will have the chance to play senior football every week, something he isn't accustomed to.

The 19-year-old didn't start against Luton Town in last month's friendly, but he did come on and you would imagine he will be involved at the Stadium of Light this weekend, regardless of whether he starts or is a substitute.