The Sunderland AFC Q&A: Team news, selection hints and clear behind-the-scenes view on Aston Villa

Régis Le Bris and his Sunderland side are back in action this weekend when they face Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light.

Here, we take a look at the key questions and all the major headlines at the club ahead of the game...

What's the latest team news ahead of Aston Villa's visit to the Stadium of Light?

Broadly speaking, it's looking pretty positive for the Black Cats. Le Bris is hoping that Enzo Le Fée will be fit to return, after missing the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace due to a minor injury. Dan Ballard is also expected to return to the squad, having recovered from the groin injury he suffered in the opening exchanges of the 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor in August. The game comes just too soon for Luke O'Nien, who needs another week or two to recover from the dislocated shoulder he suffered in the play-off final.

Elsewhere, Dennis Cirkin, Leo Hjelde and Aji Alese all still need more time to recover from their injuries.

Are we expecting many changes to the Sunderland XI?

Not really. Enzo Le Fée has a strong case to the return to the side if fully fit, having thrived against Brentford in his last appearance. While pleased with the defensive structure of his side, Le Bris wants his side to start creating more chances and the Frenchman brings something different when he drifts infield from that left flank.

Despite his exceptional form before suffering that injury, it may well be that Ballard has to bide his time in waiting for a return to the starting XI. Nordi Mukiele has been excellent in his absence, and Le Bris has strongly hinted that he's very happy with the performance and balance of his current back four. While a week of full training certainly moves Bertrand Traoré and Brian Brobbey closer to selection, the feeling is that Le Bris is likely to use them as impact substitutes for the time being.

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And what about Aston Villa - what's the latest on the injury front there?

We're not expecting too many changes as Andres Garcia, Ross Barkley, Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans are all still sidelined through injury. Tielemans in particular is a big miss for Unai Emery, though the return of Boubacar Kamara in midweek was a big boost. He's expected to push for a start here.

One of the biggest calls Emery has to make is to whether he brings Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho into the XI, after they got more minutes under their belt in the Carabao Cup this week. Victor Lindelof is a doubt having missed that game, but hasn't been ruled out of this one entirely.

Just how big an opportunity is this for Sunderland?

There's no doubt that this fixture looks a little less daunting than it did a while back, when Aston Villa were widely expected to challenge at the upper end of the table. They're yet to win a Premier League game or even score a goal this season, but Le Bris was emphatic in stating that his team cannot afford any complacency this weekend. He pointed to the strength of the Aston Villa squad and their elite head coach as reasons to be wary, and the arrivals of Elliott and Sancho give them much better strength in depth.

This is still the toughest fixture Sunderland have faced yet, and Le Bris is taking nothing for granted.

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