Due to injury concerns, the two were unable to participate in Saturday’s 2-1 loss against Watford.
Mayenda has been dealing with a muscle problem, and Ballard is still dealing with the ankle injury he received late in the game against Plymouth.
In the coming day, the two will undergo another evaluation, and Regis Le Bris is optimistic that they will be deemed well enough to play in the Derby match. They should be available for Friday night’s home match against Leeds United if they are unable to make it on Tuesday.
“They sustain injuries,” Le Bris declared following Saturday’s loss at Vicarage Road. We’ll see, though, in the upcoming game. Although Eliezer’s muscle issue is not too significant, we’ll have to wait and see if he can play against Derby.
Due to a persistent knee issue that kept him out of the starting lineup against Watford, Alan Browne is also questionable for the Derby match.
Wilson Isidor’s first goal since joining Sunderland on loan from Zenit St Petersburg in the summer helped the team come back from down against Watford.
But Dan Neil’s late penalty conceded allowed the home team to take all three points, which Tom Dele-Bashiru took advantage of by scoring from the spot.
Inside the penalty box, Neil found himself one-on-one with replacement Kwadwo Baah. Le Bris believed that Sunderland’s captain should not have given up the spot-kick, but rather that it was a collective error.
“Mistakes happen in football,” the head coach remarked. “However, it is untrue to argue that Dan is the reason we lost the game. Although I haven’t watched the entire clip, I’m confident that he deserves additional assistance because it was a protracted one-on-one exchange.
“I’m confident that after we examine that scenario, I’ll come up with a number of explanations, including those involving other players.
“Dan can play very well in this position (defensive midfield), but we know there will be reactions after the game.” Salis (Abdul Samed) is the second player for this position, however he is not available at this time.
“Dan made a mistake today, but he’s off to a strong start. He played well in the season opener.”