Walsall set for second Sunderland test

Posted Friday, November 30, 2018 by PA

Walsall boss Dean Keates is looking forward to home comforts as his side take on Sunderland at home for the second time in seven days in the FA Cup second round.

The Saddlers squandered a 2-0 lead against 10-man Black Cats, who saw Max Power dismissed after just 23 minutes, in League One action last week and have failed to score in a fourth successive away game during their 2-0 loss at leaders Portsmouth on Tuesday.

Josh Gordon could retain his place in attack after scoring his first league goal against Sunderland, and is likely to play alongside Andy Cook, who was a second-half substitute against Pompey.

Zeli Ismail is unlikely to feature after missing the trip to Fratton Park with a thigh problem, while fellow midfielder Joe Edwards is ahead of schedule with a knee injury picked up in February but is not going to feature until the end of December at the earliest.

Sunderland return to the Bescot Stadium with the same squad which defeated Barnsley 4-2 at the Stadium of Light in midweek.

Manager Jack Ross confirmed that top goalscorer Josh Maja is fit, despite playing with a shoulder injury in recent weeks, after he took part in training on Thursday.

Dylan McGeouch picked up a muscular injury during extra training before the league fixture against Walsall and will miss a third straight match, while Lee Cattermole (foot) will not start training until next week.

Defender Denver Hume has had a setback in his recovery after undergoing surgery on a knee cartilage problem and will miss another eight weeks.