When Bristol City went a goal to the good on Humberside last weekend, Nigel Pearson would have hoped that it was the start of better things to come after last season’s efforts.
However, like they did on numerous occasions during 2021-22, Bristol City conceded a goal deep into added-on time to succumb to a 2-1 defeat.
Pearson and the club’s supporters will argue that refereeing decisions were not on their side, and positives can be taken from their performance at the MKM Stadium.
Nevertheless, the manner of the defeat has left the Robins already feeling like they are playing catch-up, and a change of fortunes on Saturday feels imperative.
Bristol City ended the most recent campaign with a four-match unbeaten streak at Ashton Gate, collecting six points in the process.
As far as Sunderland are concerned, Alex Neil will be relatively content with coming through their first fixture back in the second tier without suffering a defeat.
That said, conceding an 84th-minute equaliser to Coventry led to a deflating feeling come the final whistle, something which Neil will hope does not linger in the long term.
On a positive note, playing in front of a crowd in excess of 40,000 in the Championship was a sight that the club has been striving for ever since their relegation in 2018, and a share of the spoils has still gotten the ball rolling for the season.
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The Black Cats have one of the more difficult starts to the campaign with games against Sheffield United and Norwich City to come before the end of August.
Their schedule strengthens the importance of collecting points from this fixture, building some early distance between themselves and the relegation zone.
Pearson may opt to make at least one change to his Bristol City starting lineup with Zak Vyner having struggled with illness earlier this week.
