Southampton v Sunderland: match preview Sunderland (Possible, 4-4-2): Mignolet; Cuellar, Bramble, O'Shea, Colback; Johnson, Larsson, Gardner, McClean; Wickham, Sessegnon. Out: Brown (knee), Cattermole (knee). Tests: Bardsley (knee), Rose (ankle), Fletcher (back). Team News Adam Lallana is Southampton's only absentee for Saturday's Premier League match with Sunderland. The Saints captain suffered a knee injury in the defeat of Reading and, while coy on the severity of the complaint, manager Nigel Adkins confirmed he will not be available at St Mary's. The south coast club can, though, welcome back goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga from a shoulder injury, while Frazer Richardson and Richard Chaplow are also back in contention. Meanwhile, Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill will await the results of late fitness tests on a trio of key players before naming his team for tomorrow's Barclays Premier League trip to Southampton. Full-backs Phil Bardsley, Danny Rose and striker Steven Fletcher have returned to light training, but are yet to prove they are ready to play at the St Mary's Stadium. Skipper Lee Cattermole remains on the long-term casualty list with a knee ligament injury, and David Meyler is set to be recalled from his loan spell at Championship side Hull after Friday night's game at Derby to add to the cover. Match Notes Sunderland are not under-estimating this match's significance, with defender Carlos Cuellar describing this as one of the most important games of the season for them. Fellow relegation contenders Southampton are just a point behind their opponents, with a game in hand, after a recent improvement. Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill will hope key man Fletcher can play some part, but Southampton will suffer from Lallana's absence. Betting: Home Evens, Away 5-2, Draw 12-5. Stat of the game: In 23 league visits to Southampton, Sunderland have won just four times, most recently on their last visit, in 2007. Arindam Rej's prediction: Southampton 2 Sunderland 1.