Sunderland return to league action this weekend with a must-win game against Burnley, and Regis Le Bris has some huge decisions to make.
After crashing out of the FA Cup on Saturday, Sunderland can now focus entirely on their quest to secure promotion from the Championship this season.
The Black Cats are on track for promotion as things stand, but will need to find a way to defeat Burnley on Friday night if they are keep up the pressure at the top of the league.
Regis Le Bris must now get his tactics spot on as he takes on the best defensive team in the division, and will have to work out whether to throw new signing Enzo Le Fee straight into his starting lineup.
Sunderland team and injury news ahead of top of the table clash
Le Bris shared an update on six injured players ahead of the Stoke City game at the weekend, hinting that Dan Ballard and Ahmed Abdullahi are very close to a return to full fitness.
Meanwhile, both Tommy Watson and Romaine Mundle are “three or four” more weeks away from being ready for first-team action.
The fact that Le Bris didn’t even mention Alan Browne and Ian Poveda would suggest the pair are some way off being involved.
After the Stoke game, Le Bris revealed Aji Alese had suffered a serious injury, and we don’t expect to see the defender for quite some time.
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Enzo Le Fee or Dan Neil: Who will Regis Le Bris start vs Burnley?
After some fairly heavy rotation for the cup game on Saturday, we will see Le Bris go back to his strongest XI for the clash with Burnley. It remains to be seen whether the Sunderland manager will try to replicate his ‘masterstroke’ by using a 4-4-2 formation that worked so well against Sheffield United.
If he does — and we think he will — that means a forward pairing of Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda, with the pair in red-hot form together of late. And, that also means something will have to give in the middle of the park, with Le Bris facing a midfield dilemma.
Le Bris has hinted Le Fee is ready for his debut, but the Frenchman is unlikely to lose faith in his captain, Dan Neil, even after his horrific and very costly backpass at the weekend, while Jobe Bellingham feels like a player who simply has to start such an important game.
We expect to see Le Fee introduced later in the game, once Le Bris and his players have got a good read on their opponents and the flow of the match.
At the back, Sunderland fans will be hoping Dan Ballard is ready to play, with calls for Luke O’Nien to be benched after his recent displays. Dennis Cirkin should also come back into the fold, with Aji Alese out long-term.