Sunderland will face Port Vale in the FA Cup final with several players sidelined due to injury.

2026-03-08 03:27

Sunderland will travel to Port Vale for their FA Cup fifth-round match. Ahead of the game, manager Régis Le Bris provided an update on the team's injury situation.

According to Lebrides, Sunderland will face a shortage of players for this match and will be forced to rotate their squad. Two key players, Trai Hume and Noah Sadiki, will be suspended for this round due to accumulating two yellow cards in previous cup matches.

Regarding injuries, Bertrand Traore, who was forced to leave the game in midweek's victory over Leeds United, is in serious trouble. Lebrides revealed that it is currently uncertain whether he will require surgery, but he is expected to be out for at least several weeks.

In addition, although Bryan Broby has resumed training, he will still be unable to play in this match, but is expected to return next week against Brighton.

The good news is that the other injured players, Reinildo Mandawa, Noldi Mujere and Denis Sigim, are making good progress in their recovery and are expected to return to the field in the coming weeks.

Facing a shortage of players, Lebrides emphasized: "Although the available squad is thin, the players on the field will still be excellent, and we hope to field a competitive team."

Out of concern for his health, veteran Granit Xhaka's playing time in this match will continue to be strictly controlled, and the team will not force him to return to the game or overexert him.

Image source: Internet/Sunderland official website