Danny Rose is set to soon return to the Sunderland line-up following a hamstring injury.
The 22-year old left-back, who is on loan from Tottenham, limped out of Saturday's 1-0 loss to Arsenal with a recurrence of the problem that hampered him earlier in the season but Black Cats boss Martin O'Neill does not expect it to be a he issue.
"It's a bit of a hamstring injury," O'Neill told the club's official website.
"But I've just spoken to the physio who doesn't think it's as serious as the one before. That's encouraging but we'll see how he is in the next few days."
