Sunderland faced an injury setback as Habib Diarra was ruled out for their clash with Aston Villa on Sunday, with Chris Rigg earning his first Premier League start in midfield as a result.
Manager Régis Le Bris made some changes to the Sunderland lineup, including Enzo Le Fee’s return in place of Simon Adingra. Dan Ballard also made a comeback to the bench after recovering from a groin injury, while Nordi Mukiele retained his spot in defense.
Aston Villa welcomed back midfielder Boubacar Kamara to the starting XI after his midweek return from injury, but defender Victor Lindelof was only fit enough for a spot on the bench.
Le Bris revealed that Diarra had suffered a muscle injury on Friday, with the full extent of the injury still to be determined by a scan.
Le Bris issued a warning to his Sunderland players and fans about facing Aston Villa, emphasizing that despite Villa’s slow start to the season, they are still a top team with quality players. He stressed the importance of Sunderland playing their best football and not underestimating their opponents to avoid being punished.
Both teams lined up as follows:
Sunderland XI: Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Alderete, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki, Rigg; Talbi, Le Fee, Isidor
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Kamara; Buendia, Rogers, Watkins; Guessand
