Sunderland and Norwich City will be looking to put their opening-day defeats behind them when they face off at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats fell to a 4-2 loss to Leicester City, while Alex Neil's men were defeated 3-1 by Crystal Palace at Carrow Road, leaving both teams searching for their first points of the season on Saturday.

Sunderland

Dick Advocaat's side were brought back down to earth at the King Power Stadium when they fell 3-0 down within the first 25 minutes, dispelling any early-season optimism.

Captain Lee Cattermole paid the price for his side's poor start as he was replaced by Steven Fletcher after 30 minutes and stormed down the tunnel.

Advocaat reshaped his side and they managed to score two goals in the second half through Jermain Defoe and Fletcher, although the 4-2 scoreline may have flattered the visitors in the end as the Foxes ran riot in their first match under Claudio Ranieri.

New signing Yann M'Vila could be drafted straight into the midfield, although he was sent off for the club's Under-21 side for headbutting a player last week, which may give Advocaat concerns over whether he is ready for the rigours of the Premier League at the moment.

Adam Johnson has been ruled out for up to 10 weeks with a shoulder injury, which is a huge blow for Sunderland. The club have been linked with a move for Adnan Januzaj, but Louis van Gaal insisted that the player will not be leaving Manchester United.

Advocaat will be under pressure to deliver a victory as he will be looking to avoid the fate of Gus Poyet, who was forced to wait until the third month of the last campaign to register the club's first victory.

The Black Cats won just four of their 19 matches at the Stadium of Light last season, and seven of their last 32 in the Premier League. The Dutchman will be determined to improve their record and keep the club away from the relegation zone this term.

Recent form: LLWLWL

Norwich

The Canaries got their campaign back in the top flight off to a losing start as they fell to a 3-1 defeat to Palace at Carrow Road.

However, Neil and his side will take a lot of hope from their fixture as they held their own against the Eagles and should have levelled the scores at 2-2 before Cameron Jerome's equaliser was disallowed for a high boot.

Norwich could have also been awarded a penalty before Yohan Cabaye won the game for Alan Pardew's men in stoppage time.

Neil played with a 4-5-1 formation against Palace and although the scoreline did not suggest the tactics worked, the Canaries did play good football with the system and will likely opt for it once again at the Stadium of Light.

Lewis Grabban did miss one glorious chance at Carrow Road and his place could be under threat as Jerome and Gary Hooper could push to lead the line. Firepower could be an issue for the Canaries this season and without additions there will be much pressure on the trio to find the net with regularity.

Meanwhile, the club have made limited additions in the transfer market over the course of the summer, so the Scot is putting his faith in the players that won promotion to keep the Canaries in the top flight.

Norwich had the second-best away record in the Championship last season and they will be hopeful that they can translate their form from the second tier into the Premier League on Saturday.

Recent form: WLWLWL

Team News

As mentioned before, Johnson has been ruled out of action for up 10 weeks, and as a result Advocaat has suggested that he will switch his formation from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2.

The change could see Sebastian Larsson move to the right wing, but Emanuele Giaccherini and Will Buckley are options for the Dutchman should he choose to replace one of his midfield trio that started the game against Leicester.

Defoe and Fletcher are expected to lead the line for the Black Cats after their display in the second half of the match against the Foxes, while John O'Shea could replace either Younes Kaboul or Sebastian Coates in the heart of the defence. M'Vila could also make his debut for the club.

Grabban could pay the price for his miss against the Eagles, with Jerome and Hooper waiting in the wings to replace him in the lone forward role.

Youssouf Mulumbu is still out of action with a foot injury, while Martin Olsson and Kyle Lafferty are also fitness doubts for the clash at the Stadium of Light.

Nathan Redmond should push for a start following his goal last week and Andre Wisdom could also come into the fold.

Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Pantilimon; Jones, Kaboul, O'Shea, Van Aanholt; Larsson, Rodwell, Cattermole, Lens; Defoe, Fletcher

Norwich possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Brady; Howson, Dorrans, Hoolahan, Tettey, Redmond; Grabban

Head To Head

In the last meeting between the sides, Norwich ran out 2-0 winners at Carrow Road as strikes from Robert Snodgrass and Alex Tettey were enough to secure the three points in 2014.

The last clash at the Stadium of Light finished in a goalless draw, which also saw Wes Brown dismissed for the Black Cats in the final minute of the game.

Over the course of history, Norwich have fared better in the fixture, recording 26 victories to Sunderland's 17, while 15 of the matches have ended in draws.

Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:

We say: Sunderland 2-1 Norwich

The Black Cats will be under pressure to gain a result, and although their defensive performance was poor last week they will be determined to get their first points of the season against the Canaries, who may need to add further players to have a realistic chance of remaining in the division.