Sunderland are turning their attention to FA Cup action this weekend with a third round tie against Stoke City, and two important players will be back in the squad.
With momentum going their way in the league right now, Sunderland might be wishing the third round of the FA Cup wasn’t coming around so soon.
But, the game does give Regis Le Bris the opportunity to rest some of his more active players — something the Sunderland boss has been urged to do of late, given the hectic festive fixture list the Black Cats have just endured.
Looking ahead to the game, Le Bris and his staff have been working hard to get a number of players in the Sunderland squad back to fitness, and he’s now offered an update on those on the injury list.
Chris Rigg and Salis Abdul Samed will be available for FA Cup clash
Speaking to the press on Thursday afternoon (via the club’s official YouTube account), Le Bris first of all revealed some good news regarding Salis Abdul Samed and Chris Rigg, while there was a less promising outlook for Dan Ballard.
He said: “Salis and Riggy will be available for [the Stoke] fixture. Ballard will be too soon, probably one week more. I think Ahmed Abdullahi could be available. We will see.”
When asked about the progress his star wingers, Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson, the Sunderland manager insisted the pair are still some way off being back in action, adding: “We have to wait. Maybe three or four more weeks.”
Sunderland fans shouldn’t expect anything drastic from Le Bris for Stoke City game
While our predicted Sunderland lineup versus Stoke included a couple of youngsters who might be given a chance in the FA Cup, like Trey Ogunsuyi and Zak Johnson, Le Bris seemingly suggested he would not be rotating his side too much for the weekend.
To be fair, we should expect nothing less from the Frenchman. Patrick Roberts revealed Le Bris’ relentless nature recently, and it would appear the Sunderland chief is not about to let his players have an easy ride just because this is a cup fixture.
So, while we can expect to see Samed make his debut this weekend, perhaps Black Cats’ fans should not hold their breath too much when it comes to catching the latest Sunderland academy graduates take to the field on Saturday.