The Sunderland Legend Who Thinks This FA Cup Tie Is Already Over: Is Le Bris Overthinking The Vale Park Rotation? | OneFootball

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini is confident the Black Cats will breeze past League One’s Port Vale this Sunday. Even with a thin squad, Gabbiadini expects a comfortable win. Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, the 58-year-old, who bagged 87 goals in 185 games for the Black Cats, insisted that Régis Le Bris has plenty of depth to handle a team currently stuck at the bottom of the third tier.

Suspensions rule out right-back Trai Hume and midfielder Noah Sadiki, while injuries have sidelined keeper Robin Roefs, defender Nordi Mukiele, and forward Brian Brobbey for the early kickoff. Gabbiadini isn’t sweating it, though. He noted that the backup players and those with fewer minutes this year still have real quality; after all, they played a massive part in Sunderland’s jump from the Championship last season. He did point out that Chris Rigg might be a bit rusty due to his lack of game time lately. Still, he believes the talent gap is just too big. Sunderland should be able to kill the game early and coast through the afternoon.

“Sunderland should be able to put a team out and rest a few players and still have no problems.”

“Even if it’s more players from the bench or more players who haven’t played as many minutes this year, those players we’re talking about are still players who were fantastic in the Championship last year. So they might be a bit rusty, and that will be the issue if they play, someone like Chris Rigg who hasn’t had many minutes or many games, but quality-wise and ability-wise, we should be able to beat either of the sides who were in contention.”

“But it’s going to be Port Vale, so a big occasion for them, but it’s also one of those occasions where after 10 minutes, you can be 2-0 up, and it’s all over for them, and you cruise through the afternoon, and that’s what Sunderland will be aiming for.” 

With the League Run-In Looming, Is Le Bris Overthinking the Vale Park Rotation?

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 27: Regis Le Bris, Manager of Sunderland, inspects the pitch prior to the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Sunderland at City Ground on September 27, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

Port Vale’s cup run has been pure drama. The League One side dug deep to knock out Bristol City in extra time, thanks to Ben Waine’s 112th-minute winner. That goal sent the Valiants into the fifth round for the first time in three decades. But that marathon match drained Brady’s players, and they don’t have much time to recover before Sunday. On top of that, VAR makes its debut at Vale Park this weekend, and a tricky pitch acts as something of a leveller against top-flight opposition.

For Sunderland, this tie arrives at a thought-provoking moment in their season. Le Bris guided the club back to the Premier League last year after an eight-year absence, and the 50-year-old Frenchman now oversees one of the youngest squads in the division. The big question is whether heavy rotation risks disrupting the winning rhythm that has defined a genuinely impressive debut Premier League campaign.

Gabbiadini’s confidence about squad depth carries real logic, and the history between these clubs strongly favours the visitors. Sunderland have won all five of their most recent encounters with Port Vale. Even so, that notoriously difficult Vale Park surface demands a sharp, disciplined performance from the first whistle, rather than one built on the assumption that quality alone will carry Sunderland through a potential banana-skin tie.