Sunderland are defending a 2-1 lead thanks to their victory at the CBS Arena, with Regis Le Bris having to decide how to set up his side for the decisive second leg.
The Black Cats boss opted to switch to a 4-4-2 formation for the first leg at Coventry, with Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor playing alongside each other in attack, and given how effectively the new-look system functioned, there will be an inevitable temptation to name an unchanged team for the second-leg decider.
Alternatively, Le Bris could look to bolster his midfield by restoring Chris Rigg to the starting line-up, with Mayenda the most likely player to make way for the teenager.
Mundle’s return to full fitness following a hamstring injury provides Le Bris with an additional option, but while the winger will be part of the squad tomorrow, he is not being considered for a starting spot.
READ MORE:
“Romaine is available,” said Le Bris. “With Aji we will have to wait a little later, maybe one more week. With Romaine he is ready to play maybe ten, 15, 20, 25 minutes.
“We know that he can’t start at the minute, it is not possible, but he is a strong option to have on the bench.”
Earlier in the season, Le Bris suggested he was reluctant to play Patrick Roberts in back-to-back matches within the same week.
The winger has previously struggled with hamstring issues, but his appearance record this season suggests he has become much more resilient and Le Bris insists he would have no concerns about starting with Roberts tomorrow, even though he played for 86 minutes before being withdrawn at the CBS Arena.
Roberts’ threat from the flanks could form an important part of Sunderland’s game-plan as they look to make it to Wembley, although Le Bris claims the 28-year-old’s defensive attributes also now form a key part of his appeal.
“This season, Patrick has shown great consistency. That wasn’t really the case last season or maybe the season before. He is in a good place and is a really strong team-mate.
“He showed again at Coventry how important he was in the out-of-possession phase. He is a winger, really talented and technical, but he was also a strong team-mate out of possession for us. Patrick was really important for us, and I think he will be ready to start tomorrow.”
