Sunderland host AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday evening in the Europa League, with Regis Le Bris set to field an almost full-strength starting XI.
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has outlined that he will field a "strong" starting XI on Wednesday evening in the Europa League clash against AZ Alkmaar.
Under the Frenchman's guidance, Sunderland qualified for European football for the first time in over five decades at the end of last season, and now Le Bris is set to lead the Black Cats into the eagerly awaited Stadium of Light affair.
Sunderland are fighting on four fronts this season, with the Premier League coming alongside the Europa League, as well as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup competitions.
Despite the heavily congested fixture list ahead, Le Bris has shown his intent to take all four competitions seriously, with Sunderland beating Hull City 1-0 in the Carabao Cup earlier in September.
Last time out, Le Bris fielded an almost full-strength starting XI as Sunderland fell to a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League at the weekend, and the Black Cats boss has implied that he will make few changes for the visit of the Eredivisie leaders.
Regis Le Bris oversees Sunderland training ahead of AZ Alkmaar (Action Images via Reuters)Régis Le Bris Drops Sunderland Selection Hint For AZ Alkmaar Clash
Sunderland have strength in depth across the pitch within their ranks this season, courtesy of the Black Cats' impressive summer transfer window business, meaning that Le Bris has options from the bench, including the likes of new signings Malick Fofana and Dayann Methalie, who did not start against Arsenal.
Ahead of the AZ Alkmaar visit, Le Bris explained that because the season is still in the early stages, that he will not hesitate to field a strong starting XI and forgo rotation, with both starters and substitutes having pivotal parts to play in the Europa League curtain-raiser.
As quoted by the Sunderland Echo, Le Bris said: "Because it's still early in the season, and the players are fresh, they can play, and they want to play because I think they want to play this competition.
"They want to be involved in something new as well for the club, and we hope that the competition is really interesting at that point.
"So I repeat, we need more than 11 players to be competitive in both competitions, for example, but it's possible for us to go strong.
"I think we want to go strong in both competitions, that's important for our fans and for the club as well. The depth of the squad is getting better as well, so we need more than 11 players to be efficient and competitive.
"I think the players are looking forward to this kind of competition, it's very obvious. The energy will be strong, and it's still early in the season, so they are not tired."
In terms of injuries, Le Bris will be without long-term absentees Romaine Mundle and Habib Diarra, with the Black Cats duo both sidelined for several weeks, but the bonus from the Arsenal defeat was that no standout Sunderland player suffered an injury just days prior to the Europa League bow.
Regis Le Bris gestures during Sunderland training ahead of AZ Alkmaar (Action Images via Reuters)Régis Le Bris Wants Similar Performance From Arsenal Loss Vs AZ Alkmaar
Despite suffering defeat, Sunderland's performance against Arsenal warranted pride on Saturday evening for their courageous and full-blooded display, which could have easily ended in favour of the Black Cats had it not been for the incredible form of Gunners goalkeeper David Raya.
Therefore, Le Bris hopes that his Sunderland side can compete in a similar fashion as they did against the reigning Premier League champions when the current Eredivisie leaders come to the Stadium of Light on Wednesday evening.
Sunderland boss Le Bris added: "The performance against Arsenal showed that we can compete. We have to keep moving forward.
“Another competition, same standards, same identity. It is a game we want to win. We want to go strong in both competitions, which is important for our supporters and for the Club.”
