In the match between Sunderland and Norwich City, both teams made several changes to their starting lineup. Fisher replaced Stacey at right-back for Norwich, while Forshaw took the place of Nunez in midfield. Up front, Hwang started instead of Idah, and Fassnacht came in for Hernandez. On the Sunderland side, Patterson started in goal, with Hume, O’Nien, Ballard, and Huggins forming the defense. Neil, Ekwah, Roberts, Bellingham, and Clarke made up the midfield, with Rusyn leading the attack.
Norwich’s club captain, Grant Hanley, has returned to training after recovering from a long-term achilles injury. However, he will continue to build his game time with the under-21s before returning to contention for the first team. Hanley’s return to action is expected to begin on Monday when the young Canaries face Stoke City. Another player, Jacob Sorensen, is also working on building his fitness after a pelvic injury during pre-season. He played for the development squad and contributed to their 5-0 victory over Charlton Athletic during the international break.
In terms of injuries, Ashley Barnes could potentially make a return before next month’s international break. He has been recovering from knee ligament damage. On the other hand, Josh Sargent is expected to remain sidelined until the new year due to an ankle ligament issue.
The referee for the match between Sunderland and Norwich City was Anthony Backhouse.
