Babb set to make his Sunderland debut against Amiens

PHIL BABB will make his Sunderland debut in France tonight when Peter Reid's players take a break from their pre-season training programme.

The 31-year-old defender, signed on a free transfer from Sporting Lisbon, will line up alongside Emerson Thome when the Black Cats take on Amiens in Le Touquet.

The game will be a welcome break for the players, who have been put through a three-times-a-day training schedule since jetting out to France last weekend. Jason McAteer and Kevin Kilbane, who have been given extra time to recover from their World Cup exertions, will return on Monday, while American skipper Claudio Reyna will be back on Wednesday.