Tuesday 20 September 2016 10:21, UK
Sunderland will be without striker Jermain Defoe for Wednesday's EFL Cup third-round tie against QPR at Loftus Road.
Defoe sustained a knock during Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham at White Hart Lane and will not make the quick return to London.
However, manager David Moyes remains hopeful he will be fit for the home game against Crystal Palace this Saturday as the Black Cats go in search of their first Premier League win of the season.
"Jermain got a bit of a knock so he won't go to QPR. We need to make sure he's fit for the weekend," said Moyes, who has ruled out new signing Victor Anichebe as a possible replacement for Defoe as he is not yet fully fit.
The Scotsman admits he will make a few tweaks to his starting XI against the Sky Bet Championship side but there will not be wholesale changes as he does not see the EFL Cup as a hindrance to Sunderland's attempts to move away from the relegation zone.
"I'd rather be in the cup than out the cup so I want to stay in it as long as we possibly can," he added.
"We're focusing on going to QPR and putting out a team that will get a result.
"Some players need game time but some need a rest, so we will take a good team down but we will make a couple of changes.
"Some young boys will be involved - Duncan [Watmore], Lynden [Gooch] and Jordan [Pickford] have all played well. Victor [Anichebe] isn't ready for this game."
Left-back Patrick van Aanholt, who was a late withdrawal from the team to face Spurs due to an issue regarding a standard cardiology test, will travel with the squad but Moyes did not reveal if he would feature in the team.
