Sunderland have three players back in contention for their Championship clash at Cardiff City on Friday.
Sunderland return to Championship action on Friday afternoon with a trip to Wales to face play-off dark horses Cardiff City.
The Bluebirds sit just a place above the Black Cats in 11th but have a five-point buffer over Mike Dodds‘ side, who are now winless in seven.
Sunderland drew 0-0 vs QPR last time out to halt a run of six-straight defeats in the second tier.
Though with just nine points separating Sunderland and the bottom three with eight games left to play, Dodds and co will be desperate for a win sooner rather than later.
Sunderland team news for Cardiff City
Sunderland, as ever, are carrying a fair few injuries for their trip to the Welsh capital.
Among those who remain sidelined are Niall Huggins, Elliot Embleton, Patrick Roberts, Nazariy Rusyn, and Jenson Seelt.
Ahead of Friday’s game, journalist Phil Smith revealed that Jack Clarke is back running, but that the 23-year-old is not yet in training and so not in contention to feature against Cardiff.
But Smith also went on to reveal that Corry Evans, Bradley Dack, and Aji Alese are all ‘back in contention’ for Sunderland.
The trio have recently made their returns with the U21s after varying spells on the sidelines and could yet play a key role in the run-in.
Both Evans and Dack are out of contract in the summer, whereas Alese signed a new Sunderland deal recently.
Corry Evans close to making return to action
Of the three, there seems to be a lot of hype around Evans playing for the club again.
The 33-year-old has missed almost 14 months of action with a knee injury and has turned heads with the U21s of late, scoring a ranged effort against Newcastle United earlier in the month.
And he’ll bring a degree of experience and leadership to the side during this time of need; not only that but he’ll give Dodds a more hardened option in midfield than what he already has.
Alese too; he’s a versatile defender and someone who could be an upgrade on the struggling Leo Hjelde right now.
Dack could also have a part to play, though after what’s been a tough season so far, few are expecting him to pull off any surprises in the final weeks of the season.
Cardiff will be another tricky outing for Sunderland who are desperate for a win. But with players returning this weekend and in the coming weeks, results can surely, only get better.