Team news for the Premier League match between Sunderland and Hull City at the Stadium of Light on Friday, December 26, 2014 (kick-off 3pm).Hull city team news
STEVE Bruce will be without almost £30m worth of signings as Hull City go in search of a much-needed boost at Sunderland.
Already missing three summer signings in Robert Snodgrass (knee), Michael Dawson (hamstring) and Mo Diame (knee), Jake Livermore has joined Tom Huddlestone on the suspension list.
Livermore loses his ever-present record after collecting a fifth yellow card against Swansea.
The former Spurs man will be available for the big clash with Leicester on Sunday but Huddlestone still has another three games in his suspension after his red card at Chelsea.
Alex Bruce has shaken off concerns over his calf injury and will be fit to start but Harry Maguire is on standby should Curtis Davies fail to recover from his shin problem.
Davies is considered a doubt, with two games in the space of 48 hours.
Stephen Quinn is expected to come in, alongside David Meyler, while either Sone Aluko or Gaston Ramirez will play in behind Abel Hernandez and Nikica Jelavic.
Tom Ince and Maynor Figueroa return from loans at Nottingham Forest and Wigan respectively.Hull City possible line-up: McGregor; Maguire, Bruce, Chester; Robertson, Elmohamady; Quinn, Ramirez, Meyler; Jelavic, HernandezSunderland team news
CONNOR Wickham misses Hull City's visit to the Stadium of Light after collecting a one-game suspension last weekend.
The valuable forward, who has featured in all 17 of Sunderland's league games this season, collected a fifth yellow card and a ban in the win over Newcastle United.
Either Jozy Altidore or Will Buckley would appear most likely to replace Wickham in his role on the left flank.
Defender Antoine Reveillere is another player unavailable to manager Gus Poyet.
The one-time France international had been named in the starting XI to face Newcastle at the weekend but was forced to pull out after suffering a calf injury in the warm-up.
Poyet must decide whether to recall Billy Jones at left-back after two months out or go with central defender John O'Shea again.
That late move at St James' Park upset Sunderland's plans but on-loan defender Sebastian Coates masked the blow.
Emanuele Giaccherini will also be hoping for a comeback. The Italian has been absent with an ankle injury since September but is back in full training.Sunderland possible line-up: Pantilimon; Vergini, Brown, Coates, O'Shea; Cattermole, Larsson; Johnson, Gomez, Buckley; FletcherPlayers to watch
HULL City will be without what was once considered their first-choice midfield on Boxing Day, with Jake Livermore joining Tom Huddlestone and Mohamed Diame on a long list of absentees.
A big void needs to be filled at the Stadium of Light and David Meyler will not need any encouragement to make his mark when lining up against his former club.
Meyler spent four and a half years on Wearside before joining the Tigers in January 2013 and he will be desperate to get one over his former team-mate Lee Cattermole.
That tussle promises to be a fiery affair. Just like Meyler, Cattermole is not one for shirking a tackle and provides the heart-beat for much of Sunderland's success.Form guide
AFTER the aberration of an 8-0 defeat at Southampton in mid-October, Sunderland have found a decent response to restore pride through the final weeks of 2014. Only Arsenal and Manchester City have got the better of Gus Poyet's side since that humiliation and away wins over Crystal Palace and Newcastle have enhanced the value of five draws. Hull City can travel with the hope that wins have not come freely for Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, with just one in nine games.
