Régis Le Bris's Sunderland XI and bench to face Man Utd predicted | OneFootball

Sunderland host Manchester United at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon, returning to Premier League duty without suspended defender Dan Ballard. The FA this week rejected the club’s appeal over his red card for violent conduct at Wolves, upholding a three-game ban that rules him out of the remainder of the Premier League campaign.

Régis Le Bris now faces a major selection call against an in-form United, weighing a straight swap at centre back against a broader reshuffle of his back four. With key players nearing fitness, there are dilemmas further forward and on the bench, and, according to Sunderland Echo, this is how the XI and bench might look.

In goal, Robin Roefs is included in the predicted side. He made some good saves at Wolves and will have to be at his best if Sunderland are to take anything.

At right back, Nordi Mukiele features, though moving him infield remains an option after Ballard’s ban. Le Bris has previously highlighted Mukiele’s importance on the right to the team’s balance both going forward and defending, so he might keep the structure intact and opt for a like-for-like change at centre back.

Luke O’Nien is pencilled in at centre back. His last start there was a difficult outing on a day Ollie Watkins excelled, with Sunderland poor across the board and O’Nien among those affected by a sickness bug. Le Bris has trusted him over recent months, so this might be a chance to restore him.

Omar Alderete partners him, having been solid at Wolves. In Ballard’s absence, there is little doubt he starts.

Source: Sunderland Echo