Clarke starts: The predicted Sunderland XI to face Morecambe on Saturday | OneFootball

Out of all three of the EFL leagues, League One may have the most exciting ending of all, with the automatic promotion places still to be settled as well as the relegation battle AND the multiple play-off spots up for grabs.

When it comes to the race for the top six, four teams are vying for three spots and one of those is Sunderland, who have been battling all season and under Alex Neil they have maintained their spot in the top six.

They travel to relegation-threatened Morecambe on Saturday lunchtime, with the Shrimps perhaps needing a win as well to retain their place in the third tier next season, so there is a lot at stake at the Mazuma Stadium.

Sunderland quiz: Does the Stadium of Light have a bigger or smaller capacity than these 20 stadiums?

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1. Portman Road (Ipswich)

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How is Neil going to line the Black Cats up though? Let’s take a look.

It’s tough to know who Neil is going to select as he has a lot of options at his disposal nowadays – does he go all out attack or does he opt for a more defensive outlook?

What we do know is Neil has stuck with a 3-5-2 formation for quite a while now and considering the Black Cats have not been defeated since February, there seems little reason to change.

One change that will probably be made is Trai Hume dropping out, with the Northern Irishman featuring for just the second time under Neil’s management against Rotherham earlier this week.

Lynden Gooch could switch to the right-hand side of the pitch to take his place, freeing up Jack Clarke to fill in at left wing-back once again like he has done in recent weeks.

In midfield, the goalscoring prowess of Elliot Embleton could be preferred to Corry Evans or Jay Matete, with the latter being favoured next to Sunderland’s number eight on this occasion.

There is no need to switch the front pairing of Ross Stewart and Nathan Broadhead, much like the back three should stay the same as well.

This starting 11 gives Neil a lot of options off the bench, with Alex Pritchard, Patrick Roberts, Dan Neil and maybe even Aiden McGeady to call upon at the Mazuma Stadium if needed.