Team news is in ahead of Sunderland vs Liverpool, and the major headline is that Granit Xhaka will miss tonight\u2019s clash at the Stadium of Light.<\/p>\n
The experienced Swiss midfielder, 33, has been one of Regis Le Bris\u2019 most dependable performers this season and is undoubtedly the standout absentee from Sunderland\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
Liverpoolfc.com has confirmed that both Bertrand Traore and Xhaka are unavailable for the Premier League encounter. There was, however, encouraging news regarding Noah Sadiki, who was substituted during the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal. Le Bris reassured supporters by stating that the midfielder is \u201cgood\u201d despite being withdrawn midway through the second half.<\/p>\n
Why Xhaka\u2019s absence is significant<\/p>\n
Xhaka\u2019s value to Sunderland extends well beyond his reputation \u2014 it\u2019s reflected in his numbers.<\/p>\n
According to Sofascore, the Switzerland captain has started 22 league matches this season, averaging 89 minutes per appearance, underlining his importance to the team\u2019s structure.<\/p>\n
He has contributed five assists, averages 1.1 key passes per game, and has created seven big chances. Defensively, he remains just as influential, recording 1.6 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per match, while also proving effective in both ground and aerial duels.<\/p>\n
Sunderland have yet to lose at home in the league this term, so being without the midfielder who dictates tempo, links play, and brings leadership is a notable blow.<\/p>\n
In Xhaka\u2019s absence, Le Bris has handed the captain\u2019s armband to Trai Hume, explaining that the defender embodies the values of the club and its community.<\/p>\n
\u201cSunderland belongs to a working-class community and Trai is a good example of earning things,\u201d the head coach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is really well balanced and intense, and a good example and captain for the squad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liverpool facing issues of their own<\/p>\n
Liverpool, meanwhile, travel with selection concerns of their own, particularly in defence.<\/p>\n
Arne Slot is once again dealing with limited options at right-back. Joe Gomez could return to the matchday squad, but the manager admitted the situation remains uncertain.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe has not trained with us yet,\u201d Slot explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m expecting him to train with us for the first time today. If Joe is not ready to start then we are missing four players who have played in that position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremie Frimpong is still sidelined, Dominik Szoboszlai is suspended, and Conor Bradley remains out long term. Giovanni Leoni and Alexander Isak are also unavailable.<\/p>\n
Chris Sutton has described the fixture as a stern examination for Liverpool, highlighting Sunderland\u2019s organisation and physical approach \u2014 qualities that could pose even more problems if the Reds are forced into another makeshift defensive setup.<\/p>\n
For the hosts, the equation is simple: their unbeaten home record offers belief, but coping without Xhaka makes the challenge far steeper. Liverpool will aim to dominate midfield, convert that control into sustained pressure, and ultimately turn it into three crucial points.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Team news is in ahead of Sunderland vs Liverpool, and the major headline is that Granit Xhaka will miss tonight\u2019s clash at the Stadium of Light. The experienced Swiss midfielder, 33, has been one of Regis Le Bris\u2019 most dependable performers this season and is undoubtedly the standout absentee from Sunderland\u2019s squad. Liverpoolfc.com has confirmed …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":58616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/EOTK-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-11.jpg.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58615"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58617,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58615\/revisions\/58617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}