Sunderland return to action against Millwall in the Championship later this month, in what promises to be a tough return to action.
After three-straight draws in the Championship, concluding with a disappointing 2-2 draw against Coventry City last time out, Sunderland will have been hoping for an easier reintroduction to league football after the November international break.
Instead, they travel to The Den. And to make matters worse, Millwall are on fire right now. The Lions have crept up into 8th place of the Championship table and are unbeaten seven, winning four-straight games before a 1-1 draw at Stoke City last time out.
The Black Cats remain in 1st, and it remains a very positive start to the season for Regis Le Bris’ side despite some frustrating results in the run up to this November international break.
For Le Bris, though, form may not be so much of a concern ahead of Millwall, but the club’s current suspensions.
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Danny Collins outlines suspension fears for Sunderland ahead of Millwall
Sunderland have a lengthy injury list with all of Ahmed Abdullahi, Salis Abdul Samed, Ian Poveda, Jenson Seelt, Niall Huggins, Anthony Patterson and Aji Alese injured.
Meanwhile, Romaine Mundle and Alan Browne picked up injuries against Coventry, though Le Bris doesn’t know the severity of their injuries just yet.
On top of those injuries, Sunderland now have three suspended for the game against Millwall; Jobe Bellingham is serving a three-game suspension with Millwall being the last game, whilst Patrick Roberts and Trai Hume are suspended for one game after picking up their fifth yellow cards of the season last weekend.
Collins said on Total Sport: “You’re always looking at the table. And with the two-week gap now, if we hadn’t have been there (1st place), you’re all of a sudden thinking, ‘We’ve let it slip a bit there, lads’.
“They will have felt that, certainly second half after the game (vs Coventry) in the changing rooms anyway
“But when you do look at it, you can try and recharge the batteries, and as we said there, you’re hoping that those couple who’ve come off injured can get back to it and they’ll be OK, we don’t known the extent of their injuries yet
“But obviously you’ve lost a couple suspensions… Am I concerned? In terms of that, I am, yeah.”
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The Sunderland changes Regis Le Bris could make vs Millwall
No doubt, Chris Mepham and Luke O’Nien keep their spots in the XI, and Dennis Cirkin starts on the left.
But Hume’s suspension on the right certainly opens up a bit of an issue for Le Bris who doesn’t have another out and out right-back in the first-team.
Youth product Thomas Lavery is a right-back but is yet to make his first-team debut and unlikely to come into the XI at The Den, but could possibly make the bench.
Le Bris may simply play someone like Leo Hjelde out of position, or even play Cirkin there and Hjelde at left-back.
In attack, no Mundle surely means another start for Tom Watson in his favoured left-side position, or possibly Aaron Connolly on the left and Watson on the right.
Abdoullah Ba and Nazariy Rusyn may also fancy their chances of a very rare start at Millwall.