McCarthy a doubt for Wearside trip

Wigan midfielder James McCarthy is a doubt for Saturday’s Barclays Premier League trip to Sunderland.

McCarthy has suffered a groin problem and will be assessed ahead of the match at the Stadium of Light, along with striker Franco Di Santo, who missed the 3-3 draw with Blackburn last weekend after suffering a minor tear in his quad.

Fellow frontman Hugo Rodallega only featured as a substitute against Rovers having had a virus and could return to the starting line-up, while defender Antolin Alcaraz is unavailable again as he will be serving the second game of his three-match ban for spitting at Wolves’ Richard Stearman during the Latics’ defeat at Molineux on November 6.

Provisional squad: Al Habsi, Boyce, Caldwell, Figueroa, Watson, Diame, Moses, Gomez, McCarthy, Di Santo, Jones, Stam, Van Aanholt, McArthur, Lopez, Thomas, Sammon, Maloney, Crusat, Gohouri, Rodallega, McCarthy, Pollitt.