Sunderland will have gut-feeling about looming Sheffield United test | OneFootball

Sunderland's will learn a lot from their heavyweight clash with Sheffield United.

Sunderland are revelling in their best Championship season in recent memory, with the club five points clear at the top of the league table.

The Black Cats made routine work of Oxford United last weekend to ensure they remain unbeaten at the Stadium of Light; goals from Jobe Bellingham and Wilson Isidor ensured the club eased to a 2-0 victory.

Although the Wearsiders are set to embark on a favourable run of fixtures, the end of November will bring a stern test for Regis Le Bris' thriving side.

Sunderland on impressive run of form

The Roker Men have passed several of their toughest tests in the Championship this season, with August's statement win over Burnley a particular highlight.

It has not always been elementary for the Black Cats, with two narrow defeats at the hands of Plymouth Argyle and Watford. However, this is a Sunderland side who look like genuine title contenders.

The Wearsiders' most recent run of three straight wins was one that turned heads. The trio of encounters promised a flurry of tough tests, with away games at Hull City and Luton Town providing potential banana skins.

However, in securing back-to-back away wins over Hull and Luton in the space of three days, Le Bris' men showed that they possess the minerals to grind out wins against tough opposition.

Sunderland set to embark on favourable run of fixtures

While no game is a given in the Championship, the Black Cats are about to commence a run of fixtures where they will be strong favourites.

Sunderland travel to struggling Queens Park Rangers this weekend before a midweek fixture with much-improved Preston North End; Le Bris' men then face Coventry City and Millwall prior to a daunting doubleheader.

Three of those opposition are currently languishing in the bottom half of the table, while Millwall look a mid-table side at best. Maximum points from the quartet of games are not essential at this stage but the Black Cats will be expected to win.

The Wearsiders will be hoping they have built on their five-point cushion by the time they face promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United at the end of November.

Wilder's men will provide a heavyweight Championship clash

Although West Brom will provide a stern test of Le Bris' side, the match against the Blades feels like a crucial one.

Chris Wilder's men suffered relegation from the Premier League last season but managed to retain the majority of their top players. Furthermore, they have added Championship quality to their ranks, making them a challenging prospect.

Sheffield United, like Sunderland, possess an abundance of talent in their starting eleven, and it would be difficult to single out one particular player for praise.

Remarkably, the Blades have kept eight clean sheets this season - the most of any side in the division. Furthermore, 83% of their clean sheets have come at Bramall Lane, where the Wearsiders will be travelling to next month.

On the flip side, the Black Cats are the highest-scoring team in the Championship at this point of the season, with 23 goals scored in 12 matches.

In recent weeks, Wilder's men have shown that they can be beaten, with back-to-back losses at the hands of Leeds United and Middlesbrough. However, both games were away from home, where they have been more fragile.

With the meeting between the sides just under a month away, the form guide could look completely different. Indeed, a run of bad form for either side would make them underdogs.

On the evidence of the season so far, both sides will be hovering around the automatic promotion spots come the end of the season, meaning this will be a clash of heavyweights at Bramall Lane.

If Sunderland can pull off victory against Wilder's men, which would be just their second win against them since 2004, then their gut feeling will be that they can march out of this league, chests puffed out.

Sunderland's fine start to the season has thrust them clear at the top of the table, and it would be hard to argue against their early season exploits.

Consistency will be key for Le Bris' men over the coming weeks, and they will be expected to make easy work of the majority of Championship sides.

The Black Cats' clash with the Blades already looks to be an enticing affair at the end of November and a win for the Wearsiders would give them a gut feeling that promotion is possible.