The final fixture of the opening round of the new Championship season sees last season's playoff semi-finalists Sunderland welcome newly-promoted Ipswich Town at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Starting with the hosts, the Black Cats largely enjoyed a solid campaign last time out under manager Tony Mowbray. They were in a pole position to seal successive promotions, but they were pipped 3-2 on aggregate by Premier League-bound Luton Town in the playoff semi-finals.
The Mackems will now look to rise again after a disappointing end to a season in which they largely defied the odds to lead a promotion charge in their first season back in the Championship since the 2017-18 campaign.
They come into this game off the back of a shock 5-2 loss to Hartlepool United, after earlier drawing with La Liga side Mallorca.
As for the visitors, Ipswich will head into proceedings raring to kick-off their Championship campaign. The Blues got promoted from League One earlier this summer, after finishing as runners-up in England’s third tier with a tally of 98 points.
Kieran McKenna's side had a strong pre-season, winning the Innsbruck Cup after encounters against Bundesliga outfits RB Leipzig and Werder Bremen only goes on to show their squad strength, and has raised hopes at Portman Road that they can surprise many by launching an unprecedented playoff charge.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Sunderland vs Ipswich kick-off time
| Date: | August 6, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 12 pm EDT |
| Venue: | Stadium of Light |
The Championship clash between Sunderland and Ipswich Town is to be played at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Sunday August 6, 2023, with kick-off scheduled for 12 pm EDT.
How to watch Sunderland vs Ipswich online - TV channels & live streams
 | ESPN+ | Watch here |
The Championship encounter will be broadcast live on TV on ESPN+ in the US.
Team news & squads
Sunderland team news
The choice to keep Tony Mowbray in the dugout for 2023/24 should be a positive one in terms of stability at the Stadium of Light, with the summer acquisitions of Jobe Bellingham and Bradley Dack poised to give depth to a team that is still very much in the works.
One significant blow has arrived in the form of star loanee Amad Diallo's return to Manchester United, where the youngster picked up a serious knee injury during pre-season.
Bellingham and young forward Luis Semedo are expected to be handed their competitive debuts, and perhaps first starts for Sunderland this weekend, with other new signings Nectarios Triantis and Nathan Bishop set to remain on the substitutes' bench.
Sunderland possible XI: Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin; Neil, Ekwah, Roberts, Bellingham, Clarke; Semedo
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Patterson, Bass |
| Defenders: | Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin, Huggins, Batth, Seelt, Gooch, Triantes, Alese |
| Midfielders: | Evans, Bellingham, Embleton, Roberts, Ba, Taylor, Clarke, Pritchard, Neil, Ekwah |
| Forwards: | Semedo, Lihadji, Stewart, Bennette |
Ipswich team news
Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich look ready for the rigours of Championship football, and their bid to surge up the table will be aided by the arrivals of no fewer than four fresh faces, headlined by promising Chelsea talent Omari Hutchinson.
Other arrivals midfielder Jack Taylor from Peterborough United, and returning former loanee George Hirst are all players that can benefit this squad. Taylor and Hutchinson could both make their competitive debuts here.
First-choice shot-stopper Christian Walton is set to miss this contest due to a foot injury, with Vaclav Hladky in line to step in goal.
Ipswich Town possible XI: Hladky; Edmondson, Woolfenden, Burgess; Jackson, Morsy, Taylor, Davis; Chaplin, Hirst, Hutchinson
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Hladky, Slicker |
| Defenders: | Edmondson, Woolfenden, Burgess, Clarke, Davis, Leigh, Baggott, Donacien |
| Midfielders: | Morsy, Burns, Evans, Ball, Taylor, Hutchinson, Luongo, Humphreys |
| Forwards: | Hirst, Ladapo, Chadlin, Harness, Jackson, Aluko, Edwards, Broadhead |
Head-to-Head Record
The two sides last met in a League One encounter back in December 2021 which ended 1-1. The hosts are unbeaten in their last five games in this fixture, and have got onto the scoresheet in each of those matches.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 18/12/21 | Ipswich 1-1 Sunderland | EFL League One |
| 20/11/21 | Sunderland 2-0 Ipswich | EFL League One |
| 27/1/21 | Ipswich 0-1 Sunderland | EFL League One |
| 4/11/20 | Sunderland 2-1 Ipswich | EFL League One |
| 8/2/20 | Sunderland 1-0 Ipswich | EFL League One |