Both sides will be missing an influential presence at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka argues the case for teammate Dan Ballard after he was shown a red card during the Premier League match with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka argues the case for teammate Dan Ballard after he was shown a red card during the Premier League match with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
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Sunderland will be without key man Dan Ballard when they visit Everton on Sunday.
The centre back has been a stalwart in Regis le Bris’ defence during an impressive return to the Premier League for the Black Cats.
But his season ended early when he was shown a straight red card for pulling the hair of Wolves forward Tolu Arokodare. He has already served the first of a three-game ban but will also miss the trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium and the season-ending game at home to Chelsea.
The ban he is serving was a foul on the same player whose hair Michael Keane was sent off for pulling in January, an act he has always insisted was an accident.
Ballard has played 29 times in the league this season, scoring twice. He started the 1-1 draw between the sides at the Stadium of Light in November and was a second-half substitute in his team’s FA Cup penalty shootout win on Merseyside in January.
Another defender who played in that game, Romaine Mundle, is also unavailable for Sunday as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Those are the only absences faced by Le Bris, whose side are a point behind Everton. In contrast, David Moyes will approach the game without star players Jack Grealish and Jarrad Branthwaite.
Grealish’s campaign came to an end with a stress fracture to his foot in January, while Branthwaite’s season ended with a hamstring injury that led to him being stretchered off in the Merseyside derby.
Moyes could also be without another of his trusted stars, Idrissa Gueye. The Senegal international has missed the last two matches with an unspecified knock and Moyes is expected to update supporters on his availability at his pre-match press conference on Saturday afternoon.