Sunderland come out of the other side of the international break this weekend when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The Black Cats have had three weeks off for the international matches since their disappointing 5-3 defeat to Manchester City at The Etihad at the end of last month.
Whilst Regis Le Bris will be pleased that his side scored three goals against City away from home, the French boss will be disappointed with his team’s defending on the day.
On top of wanting to avenge the defending against the Cityzens last time out, Le Bris will also be hoping that his team can get one over Brighton after their last clash with the Seagulls.
How Sunderland fared against Brighton last time out
Sunderland were beaten 1-0 at the Stadium of Light back in March, as Yankuba Minteh scored the only goal of the game in the 58th minute to win the game for the away side.
It was a frustrating goal for the Black Cats to concede because Habib Diarra was in pain on the floor in the box as Brighton attacked, before Minteh’s attempted cross was mishit and floated past Melker Ellborg and in through a gap at the near post.
|
Sunderland 0-1 Brighton |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Sunderland |
Brighton |
|
Possession |
48% |
52% |
|
Shots |
14 |
12 |
|
Shots on target |
3 |
4 |
|
Big chances |
0 |
1 |
|
xG |
0.90 |
1.68 |
|
xG on target |
0.72 |
1.33 |
Le Bris’ side did not give too much away, only letting up one ‘big chance’, but they did not do enough offensively with they had the ball, as they failed to create any ‘big chances’ for themselves.
Sunderland, though, may not have as much strength defensively this time around after suffering a frustrating injury blow during the international break.
Sunderland dealt injury blow ahead of Brighton
In his pre-match press conference, Le Bris revealed that one of the club’s top stars will be unavailable for selection for the clash with Brighton this afternoon.
The French manager confirmed that central defender Daniel Ballard is due to be on the sideline for several weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury whilst on international duty.
In the first game of the break, the former Arsenal centre-back came off towards the end of Northern Ireland’s 1-0 win over Georgia with an injury.
It has now been revealed that it is a fairly significant hamstring injury and one that could keep him out of action until the next international break in November.
Why Ballard’s injury is a huge blow for Sunderland
Losing the Northern Irish colossus is a huge blow for Le Bris and Sunderland because he has been such a dominant and reliable performer in the Premier League since the start of last season.
Ballard joined the Black Cats from Arsenal when they were in the Championship and has gone on a journey with the club, rising up from the second tier to establish himself as a top-flight level player.
The 27-year-old stopper, who scored two goals in the Premier League last term, including one against Arsenal, played a crucial role in the team’s seventh-placed finish in the division.
Ballard has consistently shown that he has the mobility, intelligence, and physicality to excel as a Premier League central defender for the Black Cats, which is why he is such an important player for Le Bris.
In fact, he has played every single minute of action for the club in the division so far this season across the first five games, keeping Omar Alderete out of the side as Kevin Danso’s centre-back partner.
|
Dan Ballard (Premier League) |
25/26 |
26/27 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
29 |
5 |
|
Pass accuracy |
82% |
83% |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
1.8 |
2.8 |
|
Clearances per game |
6.4 |
6.2 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
61% |
58% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
58% |
54% |
|
Clean sheets |
6 |
1 |
He has won the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air since the start of last season in the Premier League, which shows that opposition attackers very rarely get the better of him in physical battles.
Ballard’s absence against Brighton is a big blow for Le Bris, therefore, because the Black Cats boss has relied on the Northern Irishman to provide defensive solidity at the back in the top-flight.
Sunderland will have to deal without being able to call upon him in the coming weeks and that will provide Alderete and Danso with a chance to strike up a partnership, and it remains to be seen how successful that will be.
