Tony Mowbray has provided an injury update on Alex Pritchard ahead of Sunderland’s visit to Birmingham City.
Sunderland could reunite with a number of their former colleagues this weekend as they travel to Birmingham City in the Championship.
It will be Tony Mowbray’s eighth game in charge of the Blues and his first reunion with Sunderland since he was sacked in December.
The 60-year-old has picked up three wins, one draw and three defeats since arriving at St Andrews, while he will be desperate to get one over on the Black Cats after they let him go.
While he will be looking forward to an emotional reunion with Sunderland, Alex Pritchard may miss out.
The midfielder controversially refused to play during Sunderland’s win over Stoke City last month, before forcing through a move to join Mowbray in the Midlands.
Pritchard went onto make his debut in their defeat to West Brom, but has missed out on the last two fixtures due to injury.
While Mowbray has revealed that the 30-year-old will return to training this week, he may not be risked against Michael Beale’s side.
Speaking after their win last night, Mowbray said: “I’m not sure he’s going to make the weekend.
“It’s a calf strain from his first game. I’ve told Alex, ‘You don’t need to rush it’. Let’s get his calf right and get him back properly.”
Sunderland may also face former loanee Dion Sanderson, who is hopeful of his own return from injury this weekend.
“Dion’s back training on Thursday. I’m not sure I’m going to throw him straight in after just two days of training on Thursday and Friday,” Mowbray added.
Could Pritchard & Mowbray punish us?
I would hope that Alex Pritchard would get a warm reception from Sunderland fans this weekend, though I think many will be happy for him not to make his presence known.
The midfielder was one of our best players prior to his move away and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he popped up with the winner at St Andrews.
Even in Pritchard’s absence, the clash will have added pressure to it due to Mowbray’s sacking two months ago. Michael Beale will surely want to prove that he was the better option for the Black Cats, while his counterpart will want to show us what we have been missing.
It will be a huge game for both teams now though, with Sunderland potentially returning to the top six tonight if they can beat Huddersfield Town. Meanwhile, Blues sit six points above the drop zone.