Sunderland have announced a pre-season tour of Portugal on their official website, but it's not one to get their supporters excited at all.

The Black Cats will face Benfica B and Belenenses during a brief stint on the continent as a warm up to their League One campaign.

Having suffered double Wembley heartache last season, losing in both the EFL Trophy final and the play-off final, the Black Cats need to find a fresh spirit and togetherness to launch an automatic promotion bid.

They're set to travel to Portugal on July 17th, bringing the squad together in an attempt to rebuild their confidence and get them firing for the new season.

Usually, a pre-season tour taking in a stadium such as the Estadio da Luz would have fan's pulses racing. The issue here is they won't be visiting the home of Benfica; both games will take place at Estádio Municipal de Albufeira, a 3,500 capacity ground which is home to Imortal D.C, a Portuguese side in the fourth tier.

Supporters have been making their feeling known on Twitter, lamenting the fact they've gone from being a huge pre-season draw to facing B teams from other countries. To put it into context, Lincoln City met Benfica B in a friendly when they came out of the National League in 2017.

For a side used to facing Worksop and Grantham, it's a coup. For Sunderland supporters, used to seeing the likes of Dortmund ahead of a new campaign, it's not a popular tour at all.