NEW signing Bolo Zenden has been immediately called into the Sunderland match-day squad for this afternoon’s visit of his former club Liverpool.
The Dutch midfielder has been named among the substitutes as manager Steve Bruce keeps faith with the four-man midfield that has served him so well in recent matches.
Left-back George McCartney and midfielder Lee Cattermole have shrugged off respective foot and heel injuries to take their place against a weakened Reds team.
Liverpool, looking to avoid a fourth defeat of the season in the Premier League, are without Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard through injury, while Javier Mascherano and Emiliano Insua have only made the bench after Argentina duty.
Twenty-year-old midfielder Jay Spearing is given his first league start for Liverpool by Rafael Benitez, with a lot of pressure growing on the Spaniard’s shoulders.
SUNDERLAND (4-4-2): Gordon; Bardsley, Turner, Ferdinand, McCartney; Malbranque, Cana, Cattermole, Reid; Bent, Jones. Subs: Fulop (gk), Nosworthy, Da Silva, Henderson, Zenden, Campbell, Healy.
LIVERPOOL (4-4-1-1): Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger; Babel, Spearing, Lucas, Aurelio; Benayoun; Kuyt. Subs: Cavalieri, Voronin, Riera, Mascherano, Insua, Ngog, Kelly.
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