Sunderland midfielder Dickson Etuhu had admitted defeat in his efforts to recover from a knee injury ahead of Sunday's derby with Newcastle.Etuhu this week had surgery to address ligament damage he sustained during the African Nations Cup and is out for the rest of the season.

Dwight Yorke has failed to shake off his own knee problem and is unlikely to figure at St James' Park, but manager Roy Keane otherwise has only a series of minor knocks to contend with.

Kick-off at St James' Park is 1.30pm.

Sunderland (from): Gordon, Fulop, Bardsley, Collins, McShane, Nosworthy, Evans, Higginbotham, Harte, Whitehead, Reid, Leadbitter, Edwards, Miller, Richardson, O'Donovan, Jones, Waghorn, Murphy, Stokes, Chopra, Prica.

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