Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole is still
struggling with a groin injury, while Jack
Rodwell will be given a fitness test on a
muscle strain.
Ricky Alvarez and Emanuele Giaccherini are fit
again but Sebastian Coates is ineligible
against his parent club.
Liverpool's Adam Lallana has a calf injury,
and Kolo Toure is now on international duty
with the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of
Nations.
Joe Allen, Glen Johnson, Jon Flanagan and
Brad Jones all remain sidelined.
Glass half full or half empty?
That's the question for Sunderland fans
heading for the Stadium of Light this weekend,
having witnessed six home draws already this
season.
In all four divisions, only Charlton and York
have more home draws, but accentuating the
positive must be getting harder after just one
league win in 10, even if that win was at
Newcastle.
A month ago, these two teams drew 0-0 at
Anfield, so is it odds-on another dividing up
of the spoils?
Well, don't be too sure - Liverpool haven't
drawn at all away from home this season, one
of only two teams among the 92 league clubs
who can say that.
Simon Mignolet and Jordan Henderson return
to their former club with their careers having
taken very different courses since moving to
Anfield.
Henderson has improved so much over the
last 18 months, after a hesitant Liverpool
start, that he is now the captain-in-waiting
with Steven Gerrard LA-bound.
In contrast, Mignolet is on borrowed time, and
he knows it.
Only injury to Brad Jones handed him a
place back in the side after he was dropped
"indefinitely"; he's done nothing since to
suggest that he's worth a reprieve for any
other reason than a lack of alternatives.
In mitigation, Mignolet could reasonably
suggest that he's playing behind a defence so
brittle that the greatest goalkeepers in the
world would do well to keep a clean sheet; as
it is, he has only four of them in his last 32
games.
Gus Poyet had a similar decision to make
when he felt he had to drop Vito Mannone
following the Italian's own crisis of
confidence.
Poyet's go-to man was Costel Pantilimon,
who has since kept an impressive six clean
sheets in 12 appearances, including that shut-
out at Anfield.
Another draw might frustrate both Sunderland
and Liverpool, but the goalkeepers would
probably gladly take 0-0.
Head-to-head
Sunderland have won just one of the
last four times they have hosted
Liverpool (W1, D1, L2).
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five
meetings against Sunderland (W3, D2).
Sunderland
Sunderland have only won one of their
last 10 league games (W1, D6, L3).
Their only league victory at the Stadium
of Light this season was against Stoke
at the beginning of October.
The Black Cats have drawn 11 of their
20 league matches this season. They
have won just three league games, the
joint-lowest tally in the top flight.
Gus Poyet's side have failed to score in
nine of their 20 league matches this
season. Only Aston Villa and Burnley
have scored fewer than Sunderland's 10
home goals.
They have accrued a league-high 52
yellow cards this season.
Liverpool
Liverpool have lost just one of their last
eight league matches, a 3-0 defeat at
Manchester United in December (W4,
D3, L1).
The Reds have conceded an average of
1.78 goals in their away matches this
season (only Burnley and QPR have
conceded more). Four times in this
league campaign, Liverpool have
conceded three goals away from home.
While Sunderland are the Premier
League's draw specialists, Liverpool are
one of only two top-flight teams not to
have drawn away from home this
season.

http://m.bbc.com/sport/football/30663770

Mod do the needful but this match is not going to be easy at the stadium of light..

penalty disallowed.

Op na only come o.

Tuning in now.

#YNWA