Blackburn v SUNDERLAND: Boss Bruce faces selection headache with injury crisis

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is facing a fresh injury crisis ahead ofMonday's Barclays Premier League trip to Blackburn. Central defender John Mensah, who is due to head off to the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana after the game at Ewood Park, limped out of the 1-1 home Boxing Day draw with Everton after damaging his hamstring. With Michael Turner serving the second instalment of his four-match ban and Anton Ferdinand (ankle) still sidelined, Bruce has big decisions to make at the heart of his defence. Decision time: Steve Bruce is left with few options for the trip to Ewood Park Midfielder Lee Cattermole missed the Everton game after tweaking his hamstring in training on Christmas Day and remains a doubt, while Kieran Richardson was also unavailable with a calf injury. Striker Kenwyne Jones ended Boxing Day's game with a calf problem, and will be assessed today, while keeper Craig Gordon (broken arm) remains on the sidelines. Provisional squad: Fulop, Carson, Bardsley, Richardson, McCartney, Da Silva, Nosworthy, Cana, Cattermole, Reid, Malbranque, Henderson, Zenden, Campbell,Jones, Bent, Healy, Murphy, Meyler, Reed, Noble. CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM NEWS  TRANSFER WINDOW GUIDE: The lowdown on every club this JanuarySunderland 1 Everton 1: Black Cats miss out as Fellaini strikes at the deathSUNDERLAND FC