Sunderland team news and injury latest with big setbacks ahead of Birmingham City confirmed - gallery
By Phil Smith
Published 6th Nov 2023, 10:14 BST
Updated 6th Nov 2023, 10:32 BST
Sunderland face Birmingham City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon with Tony Mowbray facing a number of selection concerns.
Birmingham City are going through a tricky period following the controversial decision to replace popular head coach John Eustace with Wayne Rooney, but in the aftermath of the 0-0 draw with Swansea City, Mowbray has his own concerns to think about.
So what's the latest on the injury and team news front, who will be missing on Saturday and who could yet feature?
5. AJI ALESE
The absence of both O'Nien and Ballard raises the question of whether Aji Alese could be brought back ahead of schedule, but this is highly unlikely.
Alese has only just begun to filter back into first-team training after suffering a minor setback in the last international break, and has not yet got any competitive minutes under his belt.
Sunderland are also determined to avoid a repeat of what happened earlier this year, where Alese was rushed back amid a defensive crisis to feature in the second leg of the play-off semi final against Luton Town. The defender suffered a recurrence of the thigh injury that kept him out for much of the year up until that point, a decision which the club are still feeling the consquences of now.
They'll take their time with Alese, and slowly integrate him into the squad after the international break. Potential return date: Plymouth Argyle (A) November 25th Photo: Frank Reid
Rigg is currently in Indonesia as England U17s gear up for the start of their World Cup campaign later this week. Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said that the club did consider how the call up would impact Tony Mowbray's plans, but said it was an opportunity they had to let Rigg pursue: "It’s a mark of his progression that we had to discuss the implications that his absence would have on our squad, but both Tony and I felt this was a vital and unique experience for Chris and we’re looking forward to supporting him from afar.”
When Rigg returns depends entirely on England's progress. Should they fail to make it past the group stage, Rigg could return after the international break. Should they make it to the very latter stages, then he will likely be absent until the middle of next month - the final is scheduled to take place on December 4th. Potential return date: West Brom (H) December 9th Photo: FRANK REID 2022
Timothée Pembélé arrived from PSG still recovering from a long-term ACL injury, with Sunderland drawing up a bespoke fitness programme for him.
The full back rejoined full training but has suffered a setback and will need a couple of weeks to recover before rejoining the group.
With some time in the U21 side likely required before he can make his senior debut, it's unlikely he will be able to feature in a squad until sometime next month.
"Timothée was training well but he's going to be at least four weeks away," Mowbray said in late October.
"I'm no physio but it seems as if there is a difference to the intensity of the training here and we've seen it with other players whereby they find it difficult to adjust.
"So I think he's going to be a few weeks, which is a shame because he was training and looking very athletic and talented. He's picked up another injury but maybe sometime after the next international break, we'll have to wait and see. I'd suggest it's just a process for him of acclimatising." Potential return date: Bristol City (A) December 16th Photo: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
Matete suffered a knee injury in the final game of Sunderland's pre-season trip to the USA, a major blow given that he was making a strong impression on the coaching staff following a successful loan at Plymouth Argyle. The midfielder is expected to rejoin full training at some stage this month, and will then need some minutes in U21/bounce games to rebuild his match fitness. Mowbray's hope has always been that Matete will be back in the fold by the time of the busy festive schedule.
Mowbray confirmed last month that the midfielder was on track, saying: "He's been on the grass, running round some poles and jumping over some poles. That suggests to me that he is getting closer.
"So yeah, I would suggest that sometime in November he could be back [training] with us." Potential return date: West Brom (H) 9th December. Photo: Frank Reid