There'll be a few worried Black Cats going into their game with Middlesbrough this weekend after another torrid week.

The men from the Stadium of Light are firmly entrenched in a relegation battle at the moment and the Wearsiders' draw against Bolton earlier in the week proved the last straw for Simon Grayson's job hopes. The Black Cats, then, are going to have to face a Middlesbrough side that is in good form, without a manager.

Robbie Stockdale and Billy McKinlay will be selecting the line-up this weekend against Boro, then, and it really remains to be seen what kind of side they go with, whether they go defensive to try and get a point, or go all out with nothing to lose and try and get three points.

We've been thinking about how the men from Wearside could line-up, then, and this is how it could look come kick-off on Sunday:

 

There's been a couple of changes from the draw with Bolton in this line-up. Paddy McNair is in line for his first start of the campaign and we think it might be time he comes in.

Meanwhile, we'd bring Lee Cattermole in for Darron Gibson as Cattermole might just bring an extra bit of impetus in the middle of the park in a derby game that fans will want to see a performance in.

It's tough times for Sunderland, let's see if they can turn it around.

Thoughts, Black Cats fans? Let us know below!