TONY Mowbray says he's unlikely to risk Alex Pritchard against Middlesbrough, with the Sunderland head coach set to have the same squad available for the Wear-Tees derby as he did for the midweek visit of Watford.

Pritchard missed the Watford win with a calf strain and has been monitored throughout the week. It's only a minor injury but Mowbray is reluctant to risk further aggravating the issue by rushing the midfielder back into action, and he again looks likely to be missing for Saturday's lunchtime game.

There is positive news on the injury front, with Aji Alese and Eliezer Mayenda making good progress in their recovery from thigh and hamstring issues respectively, though this weekend's game will come too soon.

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Mowbray said: "I think we'll have the same squad.

"I don't think Pritch is worth us taking the risk. The pleasing thing for me is that Aji has been back in full training every day for the last three or four days, Eliezer Mayenda is on the training ground and looking really strong.

"They'll obviously need to play an U21s game over the next week, they're not ready to play with the first team yet. It's always the way that you have that cycle of getting players back and picking up some new injuries, which is why we keep them playing and keep them involved in the U21s so that they're ready when we need them.

"Every coach would want all their players available but we're alright, we're in a decent place."

Visitors Middlesbrough will be without Lewis O'Brien on Saturday after the Nottingham Forest loanee was ruled out for upto three months with a fractured tibia, but Rav van den Berg is in contention to return after missing Tuesday's win over Cardiff City with a hamstring issue.