Burnley vs Sunderland injury update as 7 players sidelined and 3 set to return

Sunderland’s recent run of only one win in their last seven games in the Championship has left them extremely unlikely to make the play-offs. Tony Mowbray might now turn to some youngsters to give them a chance to shine ahead of another season in the second tier.

The Black Cats boss has already revealed that he is considering handing Chris Rigg his league debut in their final eight matches - almost two months on from his last appearance during the 3-2 defeat to Fulham in the FA Cup. However, Mowbray may not have much say in giving his fringe players a shot in the line-up anyway due to the club’s frustrating injury list.

Sunderland are preparing to take on Championship leaders Burnley on Friday evening and fans will be interested to see how the team sets up after a tough international break.

Here is the latest injury news ahead of Burnley vs Sunderland...

Burnley

Burnley will be delighted to welcome Josh Brownhill back to the fold almost a month after he limped off during their draw against Blackpool at the start of March. The midfielder got his studs caught in the astro turf and endured a spell on the sidelines but is expected to be back in the line-up this weekend.

Vincent Kompany could also bring back Jay Rodriguez who was last in action in January, while Hjalmar Ekdal is expected to be available despite suffering an injury scare with Sweden. However, Lyle Foster will miss out because of an issue with his passport after being on international duty with South Africa.

Ahead of Friday’s clash, Kompany said: “Everyone is back and fit but Foster has had a little bit of an issue getting back, I think something to do with passports. So he’s fit and healthy which is more important, but we’ve got still one player to come back.

“Other than the passport issue, we’ve got a fully available squad and still waiting a little bit on recovering Jay Rod. But it’s just now discussions about match fitness, discussions about form but a nice and busy training session.”

Sunderland

Sunderland have endured some horrific luck lately, with two more players suffering injuries during the international break. The club have confirmed that Dan Ballard will be missing for two to three weeks with a hamstring injury which could see him miss the visit to Burnley, as well as meetings with Hull, Cardiff, Birmingham and Huddersfield Town.

Jewison Bennette dislocated his shoulder while with Costa Rica and Mowbray has revealed he may be sidelined for the rest of the season. The Sunderland boss said: “Jewison has dislocated his shoulder and he’s probably finished for the season. He probably needs an operation and a pin in, we’ll assess that when he gets back in the building but that is what we’ve heard.”

Bennette joins Ross Stewart, Elliott Embleton, Corry Evans and Aji Alese out for the remainder of the campaign. However, the Black Cats may be handed a boost this weekend, with Dennis Cirkin expected to return following his concussion last month. Niall Huggins is also nearing a return but is likely to feature for the U21s before he can make his comeback in the senior squad.