Nelsen fit for Black Cats clash

A knee problem kept the New Zealand defender out of Rovers' opener against Manchester City, but he has now recovered to boost Sam Allardyce's rearguard for Saturday's Premier League encounter at the Stadium of Light. Vince Grella could feature after coming off the bench last week, while new striker Nikola Kalinic is also in contention after his arrival from Hadjuk Split. Fellow new signing Michel Salgado is yet to receive clearance to play so will have to wait before making his debut. Long-term absentees Brett Emerton, Steven Reid and David Dunn are all making good progress but are still some way off first-team football. Rovers (from): Robinson, Jacobsen, Samba, Givet, Warnock, Diouf, Nzonzi, Andrews, Pedersen, McCarthy, Roberts, Brown, Grella, Khizanishvili, Hoilett, Olsson, Di Santo, Nelsen, Kalinic, van Heerden.