Sunderland predicted XI v Sevilla: Le Bris to hand new signings debuts
Sunderland are primed to lock horns with La Liga giants Sevilla on Saturday, as their pre-season steps up considerably.
The Black Cats played back-to-back matches against South Shields and Gateshead to open up their preparations, with Regis Le Bris fielding a wealth of players.
Le Bris has a host of new signings at his disposal, with Simon Adingra one of the latest through the Sunderland door.
With the Wearsiders set to play Sevilla at 8 pm in the Algarve (19 July), there are likely to be several new faces on show.
Le Bris to field a host of Sunderland players against Sevilla
Sunderland have spent around £100million ahead of the Premier League season in a summer like no other at the Stadium of Light.
Habib Diarra became the Black Cats’ most expensive signing ever at £30million, eclipsing what was spent on Enzo Le Fee.
The Wearsiders have already beaten South Shields and Gateshead in pre-season and will now face Sevilla at the Estadio Algarve.
| Opponent | Result |
| South Shields | 4-0 |
| Gateshead | 3-2 |
During the last two matches, Le Bris gave all his senior players game time and fielded an entirely different 11 in each half.
The Frenchman is likely set to adopt the same approach against the La Liga club, making it difficult to predict who he will start.
Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, and Adingra are all set to feature and could start against the Spanish side.
Anthony Patterson could play in goal, while Jenson Seelt and Niall Huggins should receive valuable first-team minutes.
Dan Neil may partner Sadiki in the heart of Le Bris’ midfield, while Milan Aleksic could play in a more advanced role.
Up front, the Frenchman could opt for one striker, with Eliezer Mayenda to be given a possible start ahead of Wilson Isidor.
Black Cats players given chance to impress Le Bris
While there is a collective of players expected to leave the Stadium of Light this summer, Le Bris is giving his squad a chance to impress.
Pierre Ekwah, Abdoullah Ba, and Jay Matete are among the cohort who will surely be moved on.
However, the head coach has spoken about connections within his team, meaning it will be interesting to see who he plays together.
That word ‘connections’ has been a buzzword since the manager’s arrival, and it is something he clearly values above all.
Sevilla should provide a tricky opponent, even though they swerved relegation from La Liga by one point, and it is a great chance to rotate the squad.
Sign up for the Mackem News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest,
breaking Sunderland AFC news sent straight to your phone.