Regis le Bris press conference: Sunderland vs Newcastle

Le Bris confirmed Denis [Cirkin] is “ready” and has “trained properly” for two or three weeks: “He’s connected with the group and it’s good news because now we don’t have many injuries.”

He says Habib Diarra is close to returning from a groin injury before potentially going to the Africa Cup of Nations: “He will train with the group next week, fully train, ready to go. Probably needs one or two weeks to be at his best after a good rehab program and after that, depends on Afcon. We needed to build his fitness level and he will be ready. The decision is with the national team if they want to select the player for camp.”

On tactics and flexibility: “We don’t know the starting line-up of Newcastle, but they are consistent. Changes are still possible and we are consistent as well. We always know who will be the jewels on the pitch – we have different options. The knowledge of the squad now helps us be flexible. If the opponent find a solution, you can move to another option.”

He added: “It’s not always one v one – it’s more two v two, three v threes everywhere. We try to explain their references, their habits, [so we can] anticipate and help the players.”

He said playing Newcastle at home is a “privilege” Sunderland can use to their advantage: “We have had good experiences at Stadium of Light this season. It was loud, and I expect that it will be louder against Newcastle. So far, the players have used this energy really well, to raise the momentum, to push, to change the dynamic of the game. I hope that will be the case once again.”

On Newcastle: “They are intense and well organised. They have good players. The bench is big as well, so they have a clear identity, but weaknesses like everyone in this league. So we’ll try to exploit some of them, and I hope it will work.”

On Sunderland’s approach for the game: “If we think that the game will be easier because we had the good start to the season, I think it’s a problem. If we play with ambition, with energy, then we’ll be ready to manage different problems. We have try to stay grounded. It’s always a balance to find the right level.”