OXFORD United head to the Sky Bet Championship leaders this weekend when they take on Sunderland.
The Black Cats won 2-1 at Luton Town on Wednesday night and sit three points clear at the top of the table.
We picked out six key players to keep an eye out for at the Stadium of Light.
READ ALSO: Our player ratings after Oxford United held to draw by Derby County
Chris Mepham
The 26-year-old Wales international centre back is on a season-long loan from AFC Bournemouth after joining on summer deadline day.
He came through the academy at Brentford and played 48 times before a reported £12 million switch to Bournemouth in January 2019.
Mepham made 121 appearances for the Cherries, including 61 in the Premier League, before his switch to the Black Cats.
Luke O’Nien
The Black Cats club captain has been with the side for more than six years now, spending four years in League One prior to promotion in the play-off final in 2022.
O’Nien can play at centre back or as a holding midfielder, but it’s the former where he plays more regularly.
He had previous stints at Watford and Wycombe Wanderers, and has gone on to make 276 appearances for Sunderland.
Jobe Bellingham
While his older brother Jude is a household name, Jobe is also making a name for himself with Sunderland.
The 19-year-old midfielder spent a couple of years in the Birmingham City first team, and switched to the Black Cats last summer for a reported £1.5m.
He’s made 56 appearances in the Championship for Sunderland, with 54 of them starts, and grabbed eight goals.
The 27-year-old winger came through the academy at Fulham, and was then snapped up by Manchester City when he was 18.
Loan stints at Celtic (three), Girona, Norwich City, Middlesbrough (two), Derby County and Troyes followed, before he found a permanent home at the Stadium of Light in January 2022.
He’s since bagged seven goals in 99 league appearances for the Black Cats.
Chris Rigg
Bellingham isn’t the only talented youngster on the books at Sunderland, with 17-year-old midfielder Rigg a seriously exciting prospect.
He made his debut in January 2023, and then made 22 appearances last season.
The current campaign has saw him bag three goals in 11 Championship matches, including the opener in midweek at Luton. That strike saw him move level with Gareth Bale in scoring five Championship goals before his 18th birthday.
Romaine Mundle
The other player on the scoresheet against the Hatters was 21-year-old forward Mundle.
He left Tottenham Hotspur without making a first team appearance last summer, and joined Standard Liege in the Belgian top tier.
Mundle then switched to Sunderland on January deadline day, and this season has got four goals to his name.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here