Sunderland are in action against FC Augsburg on Saturday afternoon
Régis Le Bris has named a strong Sunderland XI to face Bundesliga side FC Augbsurg on Saturday afternoon.
There is just one change to the XI from the 1-0 defeat to Real Betis last weekend, with Jenson Seelt returning to the heart of defence after a minor injury. That means Reinildo moves across to his strongest left-back position. Noah Sadiki again gets the nod in midfield.
A youthful bench has been named, with Le Bris unlikely to make many if any changes across the course of the 90 minutes. Those not involved in today’s game will then play against La Liga side Rayo Vallecano on Sunday afternoon at the Stadium of Light.
Enzo Le Fée will be part of that team, with Sadiki’s inclusion perhaps a hint that he is currently ahead in the race to start against West Ham United. Dan Neil and Patrick Roberts will also start on Sunday afternoon, while young striker Marc Guiu will also be involved.
None of Sunderland’s injured players have returned to the squad for this game, with tomorrow now the last chance for them to prove their fitness ahead of opening day. Wilson Isidor, Chris Rigg and Anthony Patterson have all been absent in recent games.
Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Ballard, Seelt, Reinildo; Xhaka (C), Sadiki, Diarra; Talbi, Adingra, Mayenda
Subs: Moore, Nna Noukeu, Aleksić, Ogunsuyi, Jenson Jones, Bainbridge, Middlemas, Tutierov
Sunderland transfer update
Sunderland are closing in on a deal to make Arthur Masuaku their tenth summer signing.
Masuaku is a free agent following his departure from Turkish top-tier club Besiktas, where he made 44 appearances across all competitions last season. Masuaku has extensive top-tier experience, having played for West Ham United for a number of years.
The left back has over 100 appearances at Premier League level under his belt, and is also an experienced DR Congo international. The deal bolsters Sunderland’s defensive options for the season ahead, a position where they are light on both experience and depth. Luke O’Nien, Aji Alese, Dennis Cirkin and Leo Hjelde have all been ruled out of the opening month of the season, with head coach Régis Le Bris forced to field players out of position on numerous occasions. While he will primarily compete for minutes at left back, Masuaku’s arrival gives Le Bris the option to move Reinildo into a centre-back role when required, as he did against Real Betis last weekend.
As first reported by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Masuaku is undergoing a medical at Sunderland ahead of signing a two-year deal. His first competitive appearance in a red-and-white shirt could be against West Ham United next weekend when they visit the Stadium of Light on the opening day of the campaign.
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