Sunderland latest: Double injury blow for Black Cats
Regis Le Bris plans to pick a strong Sunderland side in the FA Cup as they prepare for a clash against Premier League rivals Everton on Saturday.The Black Cats go into their third round tie on Merseyside on the back of a 3-0 league defeat to Brentford on Wednesday night, ending their five game unbeaten run over the festive period which has seen the team play some games without six players on Africa Cup of Nations duty.Asked about potential changes for the Everton match, Le Bris said: “New game, new energy. I think we want to go strong because we respect this competition and at the same time we’ll have to manage the load of a few players. “At the minute we don’t have the full picture because the schedule is so busy that every hour is useful to understand exactly the situation. We won’t take unnecessary risks, but we’ll select the best team as possible. So we’ll see.“It will be a tough challenge once again. It’s important to respect the competition and knowing the fatigue we have in the squad because the festive period was busy, really demanding. “Football in the Premier League is like that. You have to play, recover, reset and go again. It’s important as well to avoid unnecessary risks. It’s a balance and we’ll have different conversations with the players to find the best solution.”Sunderland will assess striker Wilson Isidor, who trained with the team on Friday morning having missed the last two games through injury, and Le Bris is looking forward to playing in a competition steeped in history for the club, who have won it in 1937 and 1973.He added: “We spoke this morning about this competition. It’s really prestigious for the club as well because early in the history it was really important for Sunderland. We are just on the edge in the winter after this festive period, but at the same time in our mind later in the season it could be really important for the mood, for the ambition of the club, so it’s important to make the right decision.”
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