Sunderland will be looking to extend their run of five matches without defeat in the Championship as they travel to face Rotherham United tonight.

The Black Cats have not lost in the division since 14 January (against Swansea) and are heading into the clash against the Millers off the back of a 1-1 draw at home to Bristol City.

Jack Clarke put the hosts in front at the Stadium of Light with a stunning strike from distance before Trai Hume conceded a penalty in stoppage time, which Nahki Wells converted.

With fixtures coming thick and fast at the moment, Tony Mowbray may look to make some changes to his starting XI to keep players fresh and maintain a high level of competition for places.

Will Pierre Ekwah start against Rotherham?

One player who could benefit from alterations to the starting line-up is central midfielder Pierre Ekwah, who should finally be unleashed from the start by Mowbray tonight.

The former West Ham United gem, who was signed in January, has made three appearances as a substitute in the Championship, and this clash could be his first opportunity at Sunderland to showcase his talent for more than just a few minutes.

He impressed in a recent cameo against Queens Park Rangers, completing 100% of his attempted dribbles and ground duels whilst also creating one chance in just nine minutes of action, as per Sofascore.

Mowbray recently hailed the gem's "silky-smooth left foot" and has been trying to get the best out of the midfielder's physical attributes.

The Sunderland coach said of Ekwah: "His left foot is really smooth, and yet I have been trying to encourage him to bring his physicality because he is a big lad - he's not a small, skinny, frail, kid. He's got huge physical attributes that he should bring to the party."

These comments suggest that the youngster has all the qualities that he needs to be an excellent player for Sunderland, and handing him an opportunity to play against Rotherham could allow him to put it all together to produce a complete performance.

In the EFL Trophy for West Ham's U21s earlier this season, Ekwah averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 as he created two chances and made two tackles and interceptions per match across three appearances, which shows that the midfielder has the ability to make a big impact at both ends of the pitch.

Therefore, Mowbray must rest Dan Neil or Edouard Michut in order to hand the 21-year-old gem his first big opportunity to prove his worth in a Black Cats shirt.