Sunderland have made a huge change to the Stadium of Light pitch ahead of their clash with Coventry City tonight.
The Black Cats lead 2-1 ahead of their Championship play-off semi-final second leg, with a place at Wembley Stadium in the final up for grabs.
Frank Lampard‘s side have been known for exploiting once crucial set-piece in particular this season, and it is clear Sunderland want to prevent their opponents from any kind of unfair advantage ahead of kick-off in the north-east.
Sunderland make HUGE change to the Stadium of Light pitch – but what is it?
Having scored a total of 15 goals from dead-ball positions this season, Coventry City love to exploit the long throw seen by defender Milan van Ewijk. The Dutchman was, however, at fault in the first leg, as his sloppy back pass was seized upon by Eliezer Mayenda, who notched a late winner.
But their plans from throw-ins just got a whole lot harder at the Stadium of Light, with Sunderland implementing a cheeky change to the pitch that could alter their preparations ahead of the match.
Slyly, staff at the Stadium of Light have moved their advertising hoardings closer to the pitch in a bid to curb Van Ewijk’s huge threat and therefore boost their chances of progressing to the play-off final.
There are no rules that state a club cannot do so, with Sunderland’s run-off around the pitch substantially bigger than other teams in the division.
“The little bit of news I’ve got from the Stadium of Light is this – my spies tell me that earlier today, Sunderland had the LED perimeter advertising boards at the Stadium of Light moved in towards the pitch by two metres,” talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham said earlier today when previewing the game.
It’s a bold move from Regis Le Bris’ side, who have quite clearly done their homework and want to keep the ball on the pitch longer, where they feel they will be able to pass Coventry off the park.
In FourFourTwo‘s view, Sunderland are well within their rights to do so, and football is often lacking that kind of sh**housery. We are behind it!
Fans can watch the Championship play-off semi-final game live, from wherever you are in the world, by tuning in this evening.
