Sunderland vs Newcastle early team news: Seven players ruled out, duo rated 50:50 to make squad
Sunderland face Newcastle for the first time in a league game since 2016 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon.
Regis Le Bris‘ men welcome Eddie Howe and his players to Wearside as the top dogs in the North-East, having picked up 23 points from their 15 games, compared to Newcastle’s 22.
Recent history is certainly on Sunderland’s side, with the Black Cats winning all but one of their last seven Premier League matches against the Magpies, who did come out on top when the Tyne-Wear rivals met in the FA Cup last year.
Sunderland versus Newcastle is one of the fiercest rivalries in English football, and the Premier League has been worse off without it for the last nine years.
And ahead of this weekend’s meeting at the Stadium of Light, Mackem News has all the latest team news.
Newcastle’s team news vs Sunderland
Newcastle manager Howe has been planning ahead for the Sunderland game for some time, but he’s had a few new injury issues thrown upon him in recent weeks.
Kieran Trippier (thigh), Nick Pope (hip), Sven Botman (back) and William Osula (ankle) are all definitely ruled out of the Tyne-Wear Derby this weekend.
Howe will, however, be hoping that Emil Krafth is able to return to action.
| Player | Status vs Sunderland | Reason |
| Kieran Trippier | Ruled out | Thigh injury |
| Nick Pope | Ruled out | Hip injury |
| Sven Botman | Ruled out | Back injury |
| William Osula | Ruled out | Ankle injury |
| Emil Krafth | 50:50 | Knee injury |
According to Premier Injuries, a website run by injury expert Ben Dinnery, Krafth has a 50 per cent chance of returning from a knee injury.
Sunderland’s team news – AFCON boost but trio unavailable
It was confirmed last week that Sunderland will have their African stars available to face Newcastle despite the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations kicking off in Morocco on 21 December.
Sunderland have seven players heading to AFCON – but not all of them will be available against the Magpies this weekend due to injury.
Sunderland’s AFCON stars:
- Arthur Masuaku and Noah Sadiki – DR Congo
- Bertrand Traore – Burkina Faso
- Chemsdine Talbi – Morocco
- Habib Diarra – Senegal
- Reinildo – Mozambique
- Simon Adingra – Ivory Coast
Although there was hope that Habib Diarra would be available against Newcastle, the game has unfortunately come too soon for the ex-Strasbourg midfielder to return from a hip injury.
Aji Alese (shoulder) and Luke O’Nien (suspended) are also unavailable for Le Bris, while Reinildo is currently 50:50 after missing the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City with a “minor groin injury”.
| Player | Status vs Newcastle | Reason |
| Luke O’Nien | Ruled out | Suspended |
| Aji Alese | Ruled out | Shoulder injury |
| Habib Diarra | Ruled out | Hip injury |
| Reinildo | 50:50 | Groin injury |
Le Bris will, unfortunately, lose those seven AFCON stars at least until the end of December, when the group stages finish.
The knock-outs then begin on 3 January, with the final taking place on 18 January.
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