Sunderland handed major boost ahead of Crystal Palace clash with no fresh injury concerns after international duty
It was another busy night of international football for Sunderland’s representatives, with several Black Cats involved in World Cup qualifiers and youth internationals – and crucially, there were no signs of any fresh injury concerns ahead of the club’s return to Premier League action.
In DR Congo’s 3-2 defeat to Senegal, Arthur Masuaku returned to the starting XI after suspension and played the full 90 minutes, while teammate Noah Sadiki impressed with 74 minutes and grabbed an assist for Cedric Bakambu’s opener. Despite leading 2-0, DR Congo were pegged back in a dramatic turnaround, with Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra coming off the bench for Senegal and playing his part in their comeback. The result puts Senegal two points clear at the top of Group B.
In Group A, Bertrand Traoré started up front and completed the full match as Burkina Faso played out a 0-0 draw with Egypt. The result leaves Traoré’s side second in the group, five points adrift of the leaders. The forward is expected back on Wearside later this week after finalising his deadline-day move from Ajax. Elsewhere, Simon Adingra came off the bench for Ivory Coast in a 0-0 draw away to Gabon. The point keeps the Elephants top of Group F, holding a one-point advantage over their closest challengers.
There was a winning night for Eliezer Mayenda, who featured in Spain U21s’ 3-1 victory over Kosovo in UEFA European U21 qualifying. The Sunderland striker was heavily involved in the build-up to Spain’s opening goal before being substituted in the 89th minute. The result leaves Spain with two wins from two in Group E. Meanwhile, Chris Rigg captained England U19s to an emphatic 4-1 victory over the Netherlands at the Pinatar Arena in Spain. The Sunderland midfielder led by example, rounding off a positive international camp in style for the Young Lions. Omar Alderete also put in a full 90 as Paraguay saw off Peru following their qualification for the World Cup.
With all players returning to Wearside unscathed, Régis Le Bris will be boosted by the fact that no fresh injuries have been reported ahead of Sunderland’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace this weekend. Le Bris’ side head into the fixture on the back of six points from their opening three matches, with home wins over West Ham and Brentford balanced by an away defeat at Burnley.
Régis Le Bris on Sunderland’s chances of survival
The Frenchman has overseen an encouraging start to the season, which has seen his side win two of their first three matches – beating West Ham and Brentford in front of more than 45,000 fans at the Stadium of Light – while suffering a 2-0 defeat away to Burnley. They now face a tough test on the road against Crystal Palace next weekend.
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"I'm really positive, really positive because one of the main challenges when you get promoted like that is to strengthen the squad, and it's not an easy task because the investment, the way you work together to recruit so many new players, is a massive challenge, and I think so far we are really good," Le Bris said.
"I'm thinking about the owner, the sporting direction, the recruitment structure and everyone who was involved in that process. I think it's really impressive. After that, obviously, you have to face new challenges and to put into practice the quality of the squad, and it's a process. At the minute, I'm happy. After that, we'll see throughout the season."
Sunderland invested heavily during the summer transfer window to reshape the squad, with more than £150million spent to give Le Bris the tools to compete in the top flight. Among the standout arrivals was Switzerland international Granit Xhaka, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth around £17.5million.
Asked if he could have imagined such backing when he took charge, Le Bris admitted: "I don't know. It's a good question. I'm happy, I repeat, I'm happy with the process, the energy of the club, the ambition, the desire to seize this opportunity. We know that to grow as a club in this league, it's a tough challenge. It's not linear, so we don't know what will happen in the future. But right now, at the minute, we can feel that we are well-organised and ambitious."
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