Sunderland will go into tomorrow night's fixture with Leicester City desperate to pick up a victory against the Foxes, with the Black Cats in a dire situation currently in the Championship.

Ditching Michael Beale as Sunderland boss hasn't really fixed any of the issues on Wearside to the dismay of the Stadium of Light masses, as Mike Dodds finds himself winless from his opening two games back as interim boss in the hot seat.

Sunderland have since sunk to tenth in the second-tier rankings under Dodds as a result, with any forthcoming win, no matter the scoreline, sufficing as long as more points are back on the board for the faltering Black Cats.

Table-topping Leicester won't be a walk in the park obviously, but with three defeats from their last four, Sunderland could look to capitalise on Enzo Maresca's men wobbling.

With that in mind, here is what Dodds' predicted lineup could look like as a result, with two possible changes from the 1-0 Norwich City defeat last match…

1 GK – Anthony Patterson

Anthony Patterson is more than secure with his starting spot in between the sticks at Sunderland, having played every minute of action in the Championship this season.

Picking up eight clean sheets along the way, Patterson will want to shut out Leicester on the way to a big win tomorrow night.

2 RB – Trai Hume

Trai Hume is also one of the first names on the teamsheet at the moment, regularly picked in defence by Mowbray and Beale before Dodds was thrust into the spotlight once more as a short-term boss.

Dodds has stuck by Hume as his starting right-back for good reason, with the Northern Irish star winning two duels as a lively presence against the Canaries last match even as his team fell to another defeat.

3 CB – Daniel Ballard

The first change to the eleven that lost narrowly to Norwich 1-0 last game could see Daniel Ballard return to the XI, the former Arsenal youngster out of Sunderland's last two games owing to a two-match suspension for accumulating ten yellow cards.

Jenson Seelt has competently filled in as a result of Ballard's absence – the Dutchman making four tackles in total at Carrow Road – but the 24-year-old centre-back should come back into the side regardless to add more steel to a leaky defence.

Described as "stunning" by football journalist Josh Bunting towards the start of the season, Ballard will be raring to go if selected tonight.

4 CB – Luke O'Nien

Luke O'Nien will partner Ballard at the heart of defence in this potential XI, the former Wycombe Wanderers man strong for large portions of this campaign so far battling bravely from centre-back.

The Sunderland captain won all but one of his duels in the 1-0 defeat to Norwich, alongside coming away from the loss with a respectable 89% passing accuracy playing out from the back.

With Ballard back by his side, O'Nien could well keep Maresca's men at bay to help his side pick up their first win since overcoming Plymouth Argyle 3-1 in mid-February.

5 LB – Leo Hjelde

January recruit Leo Hjelde has allowed Sunderland to rest easy about who should be picked at left-back, with Niall Huggins and Dennis Cirkin still stricken by injury.

Hjelde shone in the 1-0 loss to the Canaries to further justify being the starting left-back, winning 100% of his aerial duels when asserting himself into the tight contest alongside notching up one key pass for his troubles when venturing forward at Carrow Road.

6 CDM – Dan Neil

Dodds could well look to switch up the formation for his side's home tussle with Leicester tomorrow, reverting back to a 4-1-4-1 look potentially with Dan Neil well suited to take up the holding midfield role subsequently.

Neil was poor last time out at the Stadium of Light – with zero successful dribbles from the centre of the park against Swansea City – and so will look to put in a far more polished display when the Foxes come to town.

7 RM – Callum Styles

Callum Styles' versatility should see him start again versus Leicester, another of Sunderland's January buys given the nod to play again alongside former Leeds man Hjelde.

Able to play centrally and at full-back if required alongside filling in down the wing, Styles will stick it out down the right-hand side in this potential XI.

Successful with 100% of his dribble attempts against Norwich, the adaptable Hungary international also proved to be useful when tracking back with two clearances and a blocked shot next to his name from a positive 74 minutes in Norfolk.

8 CM – Jobe Bellingham

Starting as a striker at Carrow Road, Jobe Bellingham will feel far more at home playing in midfield again versus Leicester if the formation is tweaked tomorrow night.

Bellingham failed to muster up a single shot on Angus Gunn's goal last match when played up top, with Dodds now hoping that his teenage hotshot excels in a more familiar role against the Foxes.

9 CM – Pierre Ekwah

Pierre Ekwah will remain in a midfield spot to partner Bellingham against Leicester, with the former West Ham United youth player doing enough against Norwich to stay in Dodd's starting eleven plans.

Only misplacing four of his 59 passes at Carrow Road, Ekwah will just hope he remembers to pack his shooting boots against the Foxes after firing three off-target efforts at Gunn's goal last match.

10 LM – Romaine Mundle

Romaine Mundle has shown flashes of his quality since joining from Standard Liege in the January transfer window, with Dodds wanting the new Sunderland 14 to somehow fill the hole left behind by Jack Clarke being injured to unlock Leicester.

Winning five ground duels against David Wagner's hosts last game, on top of testing Gunn with two shots, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur youth product will hope to play a key role in his new employers picking up a much-needed win tomorrow.