Tactically speaking - Sunderland

Ahead of West Ham's trip to Sunderland, football statistics website WhoScored.com have previewed the meeting.

West Ham secured an impressive 2-1 home win against Hull City on Wednesday evening, while Sunderland fell to a 2-1 loss at the hand of title contenders Liverpool.

Sunderland are unbeaten in their last five league meetings with West Ham, winning three of them although when the two teams met at the Boleyn Ground in December they played out a 0-0 draw.

George McCartney impressed in the stalemate between the two sides earlier this season, attaining a WhoScored.com rating of 7.5, and he will be expected to turn out a similar performance when the two teams meet again. McCartney made more than 150 appearances for Sunderland, captaining the side in two different spells at the club

With a WhoScored.com strength of 'blocking the ball', the 32-year-old will be able to limit Sunderland's attacks down the flanks and deny them putting the ball into the box, in the process possibly helping the Hammers to their 14th clean sheet of the campaign.

It is crucial that  the Hammers' backline remains watertight and McCartney's defensive ability will help ensure they don't concede. With the Northern Irishman having gained a style of play of 'does not dive into tackles' this term, his willingness to stay on his feet to deny the opposition will further help West Ham instigate attacks.

Offensively, his capability putting the ball into dangerous positions has seen the experienced full-back develop a strength of 'crossing'. His insistence on pressing forward from deep and delivering the ball into the box means the left-back is able to maximise the heading ability of striker Andy Carroll, who in turn can bring others into play, most notably Kevin Nolan.

Nolan has only scored more Premier League goals against Aston Villa (seven) than Sunderland (six) in his career and if McCartney can pick out Carroll from wide to provide for the West Ham captain, it could be their best route to goal.

At both ends of the pitch, McCartney will have a crucial role to play at the Stadium of Light. While Sunderland are fighting to claw their way out of the bottom three, West Ham will be keen on adding to their woes and securing another valuable three points.

*WhoScored.com is a website and one of the fastest growing in the sports industry, specialising in the in-depth analysis of detailed football data. Follow @WhoScored on Twitter.

Sunderland

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has chopped and changed in terms of both formation and personnel in recent weeks as he seeks a winning formula to drag the Black Cats out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone.

While Poyet has favoured a flat back four in virtually every game Sunderland have played since he took over, the Uruguayan opted for a new 3-4-1-2 system at Liverpool in midweek. The formation nearly paid dividends as Sunderland were edged out 2-1 at Anfield.

Whether he goes four or three at the back, former Manchester United pair John O'Shea and Wes Brown are almost certain to start. Both are tall centre-backs who are both physical and direct in their style of play.

Should Poyet stick with three central defenders, January signing Santiago Vergini - an Argentina international - is likely to keep his place after starting at Liverpool.

If Sunderland go back to a four-man defence, Phil Bardsley and Marcos Alonso will likely fill the full-back positions. Bardsley is another determined defender who can also attack with the ball at his feet. Spaniard Alonso is an all-round full-back, with good positional sense and technique and the ability to deliver accurate crosses with his left foot. Italian Andrea Dossena could edge out Alonso at left-back, having played in a wing-back role at Liverpool. He is similarly attack-minded.

In midfield, South Korea star Ki Sung-Yueng could be brought back into the starting XI in place of either Liam Bridcutt or Lee Cattermole. Ki is a superb passer of the ball, completing more than 91 per cent of his attempts, while he also shoots well from distance.

Former Brighton player Bridcutt is a defensive midfielder who positions himself well to make interceptions and break up the play before giving it to his team-mates. Cattermole is a tenacious character who loves nothing more than getting the ball back from his opponents.

Further forward, Sebastian Larsson and Jack Colback are more attack-minded midfielders. Larsson is a Sweden international and a solid all-round midfield player, capable of doing the dirty work, shooting accurately and delivering superb balls from open play or set pieces. Homegrown Colback rarely gives the ball away and works hard for the team. A third option in that position is the combative Craig Gardner.

Out wide, Adam Johnson is left-footed but plays on the right in the main. He loves to run at his man, deliver crosses and cut inside and shoot. On the other flank, Italian Fabio Borini is a converted striker, while fellow countryman Emanuele Giaccherini is an likes to run with the ball and shoot from distance.

Up front, American Jozy Altidore has found goals hard to come by, but will never stop working for the team. A big physical presence, Altidore is strong in the air and will rarely give his marker a moment's peace.

Connor Wickham has returned from a loan spell with Leeds United. The England U21 international is an all-round forward who is tall and strong, but also blessed with good technical ability and admirable composure when presented with goalscoring chances.

Scotland international striker Steven Fletcher has been struggling with an ankle injury.