Xhaka and Brobbey suffer injuries ahead of Newcastle vs Sunderland in 25 days

Sunderland face an injury scare with just over three weeks to go until the Tyne-Wear derby, after Granit Xhaka and Brian Brobbey both withdrew from international duty.

Neither injury has been confirmed as serious, but concerns are greater over Xhaka, who was forced off just four minutes into Sunday’s win over Chelsea. The Mackems will now be hoping their captain and first-choice striker are both available when they make the trip to St James’ Park on December 6th.

Sunderland sweating on Xhaka and Brobbey 

As reported by The Northern Echo, Sunderland are assessing both players after they picked up problems during their 1-0 victory over Chelsea.

Xhaka’s injury is the bigger concern. The midfielder felt discomfort in his calf during the warm-up but attempted to start the game, only to be replaced after just four minutes.

The Swiss has since undergone an MRI scan, with Sunderland assessing the results to establish the extent of the damage. There are concerns that the problem could keep him out beyond the international break, which would be a significant blow given his importance to the side.

Brobbey has also withdrawn from international duty after experiencing muscular pain during the second half against Chelsea. The striker was substituted after 67 minutes as his mobility began to be affected.

The early hope is that rest and light training during the break will be enough to get the Dutchman back to full fitness, although he is also undergoing further tests to establish the seriousness of the issue.

With the derby now just 25 days away, The Mackems will be desperate for positive news. Xhaka’s leadership and Brobbey’s physical presence up front are both important to an under-pressure Le Bris.

The injury list on Tyneside

We have our own injury concerns to monitor ahead of the derby, although there have been some encouraging developments in recent days.

Joelinton remains a concern after his latest injury setback, with the Brazilian suffering a muscle issue in our 1-0 defeat to Everton that kept him out of Saturday's 1-1 draw with Fulham.

Lewis Miley and Matias Fernandez-Pardo both featured from the bench last weekend and Tino Livramento is also getting closer to a return. Ewen Jaouen, however, remains sidelined as he continues his recovery from a hamstring issue.

For now, Sunderland’s attention will be firmly on the results of Xhaka’s scan and Brobbey’s assessment. The derby is still a few weeks away, but these are two significant injury concerns for our rivals down the road.