Heading into the North-East derby at the weekend, Sunderland sweat on the fitness of Ola Toivonen and Jack Rodwell.
The midfield duo were absent through injury for Allardyce’s first game in charge during Sunderland’s 1-0 loss to West Brom. Toivonen was out with a groin problem which was sustained during his international duties with Sweden while Rodwell is still struggling with an ankle problem that’s been troubling him for several weeks. The absence of the pair meant that Liam Bridcutt was in the Sunderland squad for the first time since the season opener.
In addition to Toivonen and Rodwell, England Under-21 international Duncan Watmore also missed the West Brom clash due to a hamstring problem. It’s expected that Watmore’s injury is not a substantial one which will keep him out for a long time, according to his scan results.
On a plus side, Allardyce will be boosted by the return of both Jeremain Lens and Sebastian Coates for the derby. Both players were suspended for the game, with Lens receiving his marching orders against West Ham after a reckless second yellow card of the game. Coates however, was unavailable due to picking up his fifth yellow card of the season, after only playing 5 Premier League games. Hopefully, both Toivonen and Rodwell can be fit earlier than planned to boost Sunderland, as they seek their 6th successive win against Newcastle.
