Tony Mowbray handed injury boost ahead of Sunderland game with Alex Pritchard and Dion Sanderson news

Former Sunderland duo Dion Sanderson and Alex Pritchard are nearing a return to training for Birmingham City, according to Tony Mowbray.

Sunderland and Birmingham City play each other on Saturday in the Championship. However, the pair are unlikely to start the game.

“I’m not sure he’s going to make the weekend," Mowbray said of Pritchard after Birmingham's 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. "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."

In the case of Sanderson, there's hope he'll be in the matchday squad to face Michael Beale's Sunderland. “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 confirmed.

"Robbo [Marc Roberts] deserved his chance. I don’t historically like changing the centre-backs, when you’ve got a pairing that’s good and understands each other’s strengths and weaknesses you don’t mess with it," Mowbray explained.