Chris Rigg makes his first league start for the Black Cats as Mike Dodds shuffles his pack with two changes for tonight’s Sky Bet Championship clash with table-topping Leicester City.
Dan Ballard also returns to Sunderland’s starting XI following the completion of his two-match suspension with defender Callum Styles and winger Romaine Mundle both dropping to the bench.
Bradley Dack and Corry Evans have recently returned to first-team training, but this evening's fixture comes too soon as they build up their match sharpness.
Niall Huggins, Dennis Cirkin, Aji Alese, Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke all remain unavailable as they continue to recover from their longer-term injuries.
SAFC XI: Patterson, Hume, O’Nien ©, Ballard, Hjelde, Seelt, Neil, Ekwah, Rigg, Jobe, Hemir.
Substitutes: Bishop, Pembele, Aouchiche, Ba, Styles, Burstow, Rusyn, Mundle, Kelly.