SOCCER
Sunderland Add Chemsdine Talbi to Europa League Squad After Diarra Injury
Talbi replaces injured midfielder Habib Diarra and is eligible to face Dinamo Zagreb.
Sunderland added Chemsdine Talbi to their Europa League squad in place of injured midfielder Habib Diarra, making the winger eligible for Thursday’s home match against Dinamo Zagreb.
The club announced the change Wednesday, and UEFA’s squad register records the replacement on Nov. 4. Diarra injured his hamstring in training the previous week.
Manager Regis Le Bris said Diarra was expected to miss around six weeks. The absence opened a place for Talbi, who had not been in Sunderland’s original European squad.
The change gives Le Bris another option for the league-phase meeting at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland entered the match with seven points from their opening three Europa League games.
Sources and notes
- Sunderland AFC, Nov. 4, 2026: https://www.safc.com/news/2026/november/04/talbi-added-to-europa-league-squad/
- UEFA squad register, Nov. 5, 2026: https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/02a9-219ea169f22c-077a5eefec4c-1000--uefa-europa-league-2026-27-squad-changes/
- Sunderland Echo, Nov. 4, 2026: https://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/sunderland-afc/regis-le-bris-confirms-europa-league-squad-change-as-chemsdine-talbi-replaces-injured-habib-diarra-9329444
- Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chemsdine_Talbi_France_v_Morocco_9_July_2026-083.jpg ; CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
