Sunderland will be without two players against Arsenal this weekend, Regis Le Bris has confirmed.
The Black Cats welcome the Premier League champions to the Stadium of Light on Saturday night, seeking a repeat or to better the entertaining 2-2 draw in last season’s corresponding fixture.
After starting the campaign with a defeat to promoted Ipswich, Sunderland have recovered to beat Fulham, draw with Brentford and overcome Hull to reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.
Le Bris is set to select from the same pool of players from the last two games because Romaine Mundle and Habib Diarra remain unavailable for selection after sustaining injuries in the 1-0 win over Fulham at the end of August.
“Romaine has a knee injury, which is a shame because he had a good pre-season,” Le Bris revealed in the pre-match press conference on Thursday.
“We will support him and hope he is ready by the end of the year.”
Diarra, meanwhile, is continuing his recovery from a hamstring injury and is expected to be sidelined until after the international break, missing games against Arsenal and AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.
“Habib is in the middle of his recovery,” Le Bris added.
While Sunderland have won both home games this season without conceding, Le Bris is aware that record will come under serious threat by Arsenal.
“It is going to be a demanding game – they are flying right now,” he said. “They are one of the best teams in Europe and are on a strong run. To be competitive in this kind of game, we have to be ourselves.
“Our underdog mentality, togetherness and connection with the fans is crucial. We have to have clarity in our game model, because they have so much flexibility.
“We have to make it as uncomfortable and as difficult as possible for Arsenal, but we know they have many threats.”
