Sunderland have suffered fresh injury blows leaving the Black Cats defensively 'stretched' going into Sunday's game against Middlebrough, according to Tony Mowbray. The Black Cats take on Boro at the Stadium of Light on Sunday lunchtime, and they will be without versatile defender Luke O'Nien as he begins a three-game suspension following his red card in last weekend's defeat against Swansea City.
Aji Alese and Dennis Cirkin are also still out of action with ankle and hip problems respectively, although they are likely to return to training next week. But, without going into specifics, Mowbray has hinted that Sunderland's central defensive options have been further whittled down through injury.
Last weekend, Daniel Ballard started alongside O'Nien, while Danny Batth returned from a calf injury when he came on as a substitute following O'Nien's dismissal, and Mowbray seemed to suggest that either Ballard or Batth is a doubt. Bailey Wright was also on the bench against Swansea and if there are more defensive injuries, he could start against the Teessiders.
