Sunderland waiting on Johnson

Sunderland winger Adam Johnson is a doubt for the St Stephen's Day clash with former club Manchester City.

The England international limped out of Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League victory at Southampton with a dead leg, while fellow midfielder Sebastian Larsson has a knee problem, although manager Martin O’Neill is hoping both will make the game.

Skipper Lee Cattermole (knee) remains on the long-term casualty list along with defender Wes Brown (also knee), but David Meyler has been recalled from his loan spell at Hull to bolster O’Neill’s midfield resources.

Provisional squad: Mignolet, Westwood, Bardsley, Kilgallon, O’Shea, Cuellar, Bramble, Rose, Gardner, Colback, McClean, Larsson, Johnson, Vaughan, Sessegnon, Meyler, Saha, Campbell, Wickham, McFadden, Fletcher.