Regis Le Bris Issues Key Sunderland Injury Update Ahead Of Bournemouth Clash

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris will be without versatile defender Thomas Meunier for this weekend's Premier League clash at Bournemouth, with striker Wilson Isidor a major doubt in terms of his availability for Sunday's fixture.

Following Sunderland's 2-1 comeback win over SCU Torreense in the Europa League on Thursday evening, the Black Cats travel straight to the Vitality Stadium for a top flight fixture, with the Cherries coming into the clash buoyed by their 3-0 win over Sturm Graz.

However, both sides have been struggling domestically despite their enjoyable European adventures, given that Sunderland have lost their last three league games in a row and that the Cherries are winless in their last eight Premier League games.

After suffering an injury last time out in the league in Sunderland's 2-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, Le Bris has confirmed that Meunier will miss this weekend's trip to the south coast and potentially Haitian frontman Isidor, but was more positive on the likes of returning Brian Brobbey and Habib Diarra.

Ahead of the Bournemouth trip, Le Bris explained: "Wilson (Isidor) got a minor injury, and we'll assess day by day, we don't know for Bournemouth. For Thomas (Meunier), it's a no, definitive at the minute."

However, on a more positive note, Le Bris' Black Cats squad will be boosted by the return of duo Brobbey and Diarra to full fitness, following their respective hamstring injuries.

Brobbey suffered a worrying injury during the international break for the Netherlands against Germany and has been sidelined since, with Diarra a more longer-term abscentee following his strain picked up in Sunderland's only Premier League win of the season to date in the 1-0 home victory over Fulham back in late August.

Both Brobbey and Diarra have trained with the Sunderland squad this week and were selected on Le Bris' substitutes' bench for the Europa League clash against Torreense on Thursday evening.

On the returning duo, Le Bris added: "They're training with the squad now, so they will be ready."

As a result, Le Bris now has an imperative selection decision on his hands, whether to thrust Brobbey in up-front from the start against Marco Rose's side, or stick with academy graduate Timur Tutierov after the young Ukrainian forward led the line impressively in Portugal in his first senior start for Sunderland.

Trademark winger Tutierov had an early goal chalked out for an apparent foul from Omar Alderete in the build-up, and showed energy, intelligience and technical quality against Torreense in his 96-minute display.

However, given that the young forward was kept on for the full match with Sunderland searching desperately for goals, this could suggest that Le Bris was keeping bullish Dutchman Brobbey on ice ahead of his potential return to the Black Cats starting XI at Bournemouth on Sunday.