Malbranque banned for Villa clash

Sunderland will be without midfielder Steed Malbranque through suspension for tomorrow’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa.

The Frenchman picked up his fifth booking of the season at Middlesbrough last weekend, and Dean Whitehead, Teemu Tainio and Phil Bardsley are all on four yellows.

Kieran Richardson should be available after having stitches put into a head wound at Boro, while Bardsley has recovered from a virus, but the game will come too soon for George McCartney (foot) and Craig Gordon (ankle).

Provisional squad: Fulop, Colgan, McShane, Bardsley, Chimbonda, Ferdinand, Nosworthy, Collins, Whitehead, Richardson, Tainio, Leadbitter, Edwards, Yorke, Reid, Henderson, Diouf, Cisse, Jones, Murphy, Healy, Chopra.