Sunderland return to the Stadium of Light this evening as promotion rivals Barnsley come to town, kick-off 7:45pm.

The Black Cats welcome the Tykes on the back of a 13-game unbeaten run which saw seen them move up to second in Sky Bet League One.

While that run looked to have come to an end on Saturday at Walsall, 10-man Sunderland fought back with guile and determination as Aiden McGeady and Lynden Gooch earned a point.

That sent the 3,200 travelling fans in raptures – a moment which encapsulated more than just a point on the road. This was a sign. A sign of intent. A sign of the togetherness felt from all corners of the club right now.

Barnsley, on the other hand, know victory this evening would see them leapfrog the Black Cats into second.

The Tykes head to the north east unbeaten in their previous seven matches, with a 1-1 draw against Doncaster Rovers on Saturday halting their three-game winning run.

Jack Ross has been handed a boost ahead of tonight’s match, following the FA’s decision to overturn Max Power’s red card at the Bescot Stadium.

Power was dismissed for a first-half challenge, leaving the Black Cats to play out the final 65 minutes with a man less.

However, Ross will have Power available for tonight’s match as Dylan McGeouch and Lee Cattermole remain sidelined.

From the Barnsley camp, boss Daniel Stendel could restore Cauley Woodrow to his starting line-up after scoring two in two prior to Saturday’s draw at Donny.

Zeki Fryers is also set to return to action, but Ryan Hedges will be out for at least four weeks with a broken toe.

The omens aren’t good for the Black Cats going into tonight’s match. Barnsley have won two of their last three away games against Sunderland, following a run of seven consecutive defeats that began in December 1988.

That said, these sides have gone 23 league meetings without drawing.

DON’T MISS THE ACTION

Cash turnstiles will be in operation for tonight’s home match – full details available here.

Streaming passes are also on sale now.

BBC Radio Newcastle’s Nick Barnes will be broadcasting live right here on safc.com from 2pm.

As ever, there will be comprehensive coverage across our digital channels including safc.com’s matchday blog and live updates on Twitter via @SunderlandAFC.