The early Sunderland and Burnley team and injury news with two doubts and seven ruled out

Sunderland are back in action next Monday night when they face Burnley at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats are looking to bounce back from their disappointing defeat to West Ham United, while Burnley are hoping to build on a promising 2-2 draw with Spurs. Both bosses have some significant team news concerns - here we bring you up to speed with the early news from both camps...

The early Sunderland team news with three ruled out

Sunderland are set to be without captain and talisman Granit Xhaka, after the midfielder missed the 3-1 defeat to West Ham United with an ankle injury.

Head coach Régis Le Bris confirmed after the game that the 33-year-old needed a fortnight of initial recovery, before a decision can be made on his return to action. It leaves Le Bris with a major selection dilemma for Burnley's visit to the Stadium of Light. He can keep faith with the 4-4-2 shape that misfired in the first half against West Ham, or bring in either Lutsharel Geertruida or Habib Diarra to reinforce his midfield.

Arthur Masuaku has been unavailable since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations with an ankle issue, though it is expected that he will have completed a loan move to RC Lens long before kick off at the Stadium of Light. Bertrand Traore is expected to miss out as he recovers from a knee issue he suffered representing Burkino Faso at the tournament. Sunderland are otherwise in a good position availability wise ahead of the game, even if the absences of Xhaka and Traore are significant given the absence of a like-for-like alternative in the squad for either player.

The game will come too soon for Jocelin Ta Bi to be in contention for his competitive debut, with Le Bris confirming that he'll need around a fortnight before to complete his full recovery from an ankle issue. Aji Alese is fit again after a long-term recovery from the injury he suffered against Stoke City last January, but is expected to get more minutes for the U21s under his belt before resuming full training with the senior team.

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The early Burnley team news with two doubts and four ruled out

Burnley duo Zian Flemming and Joe Worrall both missed the 2-2 draw with Spurs on Saturday, but boss Scott Parker had revealed ahead of that game that both were close to a return. It therefore seems likely that both will be back in contention for the trip to Sunderland next Monday.

Jordan Beyer, Connor Roberts, Josh Cullen, Mike Tresor and Zeki Amdouni are all expected to be absent, with Cullen set to miss the rest of the campaign due to an ACL injury. Tresor is expected to miss a few weeks of action with an ankle issue.

Parker confirmed last week that Beyer, Roberts and Amdouni could all return from their longer-term issues this season: "I think there is, for sure there is.

“I still think they're a little bit down the road in terms of when we're going to see them, but all three of them really, or at least two of them, are starting. They're on the grass now, so definitely there could be an option that we may see them.”

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