Sunderland have lost Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra for around six weeks with a fresh muscle injury, ruling him out of tonight's Europa League clash with Dinamo Zagreb and a brutal run of fixtures that could decide Regis Le Bris's season.
Le Bris confirmed the blow at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, admitting Sunderland are sad for a player who had worked hard to return from his previous injury and was expected to be central to their plans.
"Probably around six weeks from the first diagnosis. We are sad for him," Le Bris said. "Habib worked hard to get back after the previous injury. We expected to have him, because he is important in our squad, so we have to understand exactly the injury, the 'why' and prepare him for the next comeback."
Talbi takes his place in Europe
There is one immediate consolation. Under UEFA's long-term injury replacement provision, Article 31.14, Morocco winger Chemsdine Talbi has been registered in Diarra's place in the Europa League squad, as reported by Last Word on Football.
That matters tonight. Sunderland are unbeaten in Europe — two wins and a draw, seven points and ninth in the league phase — and a win at the Stadium of Light (8pm UK time) would take them to ten points and put them well on the way to the knockout rounds with four games still to play.
Dinamo arrive in turmoil. Head coach Mario Kovacevic left by mutual consent after a weekend defeat, with reserve boss Jerko Leko stepping up as caretaker for his first game in charge. Their danger man is striker Dion Drena Beljo, who has scored 17 goals in 18 games in all competitions this season.
Sunderland's other absences are serious too. Nordi Mukiele remains in concussion protocols, Romaine Mundle is out, and Dan Ballard — on an exercise bike on Wednesday morning — is targeting a return to team training in mid-December.
It is a familiar Wearside pattern this season: the squad players shone in the Carabao Cup win over Brentford, but the league side then fell flat at Coventry, a defeat that left Le Bris admitting his side are in a relegation scrap.
So what does Diarra's absence mean?
The timing could hardly be worse. As Football FanCast set out this morning, Diarra could miss as many as ten games in the next six weeks — Chelsea at home on Sunday, Tottenham, Liverpool, the Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle, and AC Milan at the San Siro in Europe among them.
This is also the third time the 22-year-old Senegal international has been sidelined in just over 12 months since arriving from Strasbourg last summer. Sunderland paid big money for a box-to-box midfielder who captained Strasbourg at 20 and won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal — instead, Le Bris has rarely been able to build his midfield around him for a sustained run.
The immediate question is who steps in. Jules Ahoka, who has played game after game in this competition, is pushing for a bigger role, and Le Bris praised the hunger of the players outside his starting eleven this week. Against a Dinamo side with a new coach and nothing settled, Sunderland need control in midfield more than ever — and they must find it without their Senegal star.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Sunderland's European adventure has been the one bright light in a season that is sinking in the league — bottom of the Premier League with five points — but injuries like this are exactly how a feel-good story turns into a crisis. Le Bris does not have many injuries, by his own words, but they are all serious, and they are all in the spine of his team. If Sunderland beat Dinamo tonight without Diarra, it will prove this squad has real depth. If they do not, the next six weeks — Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Milan without him — could define, and possibly end, Le Bris's time on Wearside.
Can Sunderland keep their unbeaten European run going without Diarra tonight? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
