By
Melissa Edwards
BBC Sport journalist
- Published3 minutes ago
Sunderland boss Regis le Bris has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game againstCoventry Cityat CBS Arena (kick-off 15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Wilson Isidor "should" be back in contention after missing five matches with a knock. Le Bris confirmed all of his players are "more or less available" excluding defender Dan Ballard and winger Romaine Mundle, who haven't been cleared to travel.
Dutch striker Brian Brobbey returned to the fold againstLeeds Unitedlast weekend as he recovered from a hamstring injury. Le Bris said: "Brian is really important for the team. He's getting better, so hopefully he can progress."
Sunderland have drawnCrystal Palacein the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after knocking outBrentfordon Wednesday. Le Bris said the draw is a "good opportunity" for his side to go further in the competition but that it is "always a tough game" at Selhurst Park.
The French head coach made 11 changes to his side that beat the Bees as he continues to manage Sunderland's European campaign on top of domestic competitions. On achieving that balance, he said: "You won't hear me complaining about this new journey, the busy schedule, because this is exactly where we want to be; with the opportunity to play regularly in Europe, competing in the Premier League, the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup later. It's demanding and creates the condition to get better, to evolve and to be more creative."
On facing Coventry, he said: "There's always a new story and a new chapter to write. This game will be an exciting one with our intention to be us, show up with our identity, our pillars, our foundations and after that the game will be the game."
He added: "They've won two games in the Premier League so it means they are competitive. It's a new chapter for them as well and you have to manage the two different stories of being dominant in the last two years of the Championship and now you don't have the same level of opposition so it's a new balance. They are still efficient."
Listen to full match commentary onBBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2from 14:55 GMT
Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news