Alex Pritchard has been rated has ’50-50’ by Head Coach Lee Johnson ahead of Sunderland’s trip to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
After victories over Port Vale, Blackpool and Wigan Athletic in the Carabao Cup, the Lads will face Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday in the last 16 of the competition.
Frederik Alves, Corry Evans and Lynden Gooch returned to the squad on Saturday, but Pritchard, who has started in each of the Black Cats’ last four fixtures, faces a fitness battle to face the R’s.
Speaking to safc.com, Johnson provided the latest news from the treatment room.
“The 50-50 shout is Alex Pritchard,” he revealed.
“His neck still hasn’t quite recovered, so he might be available again but he did well to start on Saturday because he played through the pain barrier.”
He continued: “Apart from that it is relatively clean bill of health, but obviously Elliot [Embleton] is suspended, Jordan [Willis] remains out and Arbenit [Xhemajli] is continuing his recovery.
“They [the players returning] have another three or four days under their belts and there was a few more minutes for some of them on Saturday.
“Six or seven of them have taken two steps back in their fitness levels - not as in lungs, but match fitness - and that’s where we can use the amount of games as a positive, especially in the Carabao Cup where you have the opportunity to have up to nine subs and use five of them.
“That could play a big part in the rounds moving forward and as the lowest ranked team in the competition, that may make it a little more difficult for us, but at the same time we think we have good changes that we can make as well.”