Cardiff brought a four-game winning run into their clash with Swansea before the international break, beating Stoke City, Bristol City, Huddersfield Town and Ipswich Town.
However, the Bluebirds were beaten 2-0 at Swansea, with Liam Cullen making the breakthrough in the 34th minute, before Jamal Lowe added a second in the sixth minute of added time at the end of the 90.
Cardiff are 11th in the Championship table, boasting a record of 16 wins, five draws and 17 defeats from their 38 matches to collect 53 points, which has left them eight points off the playoff positions.
The Welsh outfit will need a lot to go in their favour in order to sneak into the top six late in the campaign, but another victory on Friday would be a huge step in the right direction, and they then have another intriguing clash against Coventry City on Monday afternoon.
Erol Bulut’s side have picked up 30 points from their 19 home league matches this term, and they will be welcoming a Sunderland outfit that have collected only 17 points from their 19 games on their travels.
Sunderland, meanwhile, drew 0-0 with QPR before the international break, which ended a six-game losing run in the second tier of English football.
Mike Dodds remains in charge of the Black Cats on an interim basis following the departure of Michael Beale, and there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough campaign for the club.
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Sunderland finished sixth in the Championship last season, which saw them qualify for the playoffs, but they lost to Luton Town in the semi-finals, with the club remaining in the second tier of English football.
The Black Cats are currently 12th in the table, five points behind 11th-placed Cardiff, and they are 13 points off the playoff positions heading into the final straight.
Sunderland have actually lost four of their last five Championship matches against Cardiff, including a 1-0 defeat when the two teams locked horns at the Stadium of Light back in September, with Mark McGuinness netting the only goal of the contest in the 87th minute.
