Sunderland face Leeds United in a pre-season friendly in America in the early hours of Friday morning UK time.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has revealed his Leeds United plan for the pre-season friendly in America with a declaration amid a Black Cats visa issue.

Leeds and Sunderland will lock horns at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey in the early hours of Friday morning UK time in the second game of the USA tour for both sides.

Leeds began their friendlies in the USA with last weekend’s 3-2 defeat against Wrexham for which boss Daniel Farke had eight first team players missing whilst Sunderland also had key men missing in their 4-2 defeat to Liverpool.

Le Bris, though, has revealed that his club’s World Cup players will join the squad for potentially half an hour of football against Leeds as others are pushed for an hour against Farke’s Whites.

The Black Cats boss has declared that his team are ahead of where they were this time last summer but also revealed that the Black Cats will be without Jocelin Ta Bi in America due to a visa issue.

As per the Sunderland Echo, Ivorian winger Ta Bi had his visa application rejected last week and though the club appealed the decision, they are not expecting the situation to change.

Le Bris told the Sunderland Echo: “For the game time, we'll keep doing what we did, probably we'll push a few players until 60 minutes against Leeds.

“The players from the World Cup will join as well for maybe 30 minutes and we'll mix the squad like this for the first game.

“We'll have another opportunity against Wrexham, probably to go for 45-45, something like that. It's not one single rule [for every players] but it's more or less the main idea.

Le Bris also says his squad are further ahead than they were this time last year.

"It's really clear that now”

"We feel this on the pitch," Le Bris declared.

"It's really clear that now... this morning we worked for example on our build-up. The knowledge within the squad now is so high if we compare with one season before.

“So we are more efficient, the players understand them really quickly with automatic behaviours. So it's a big step, now you still have to refine according to the opposition. We'll play a good game against Leeds and then we'll see."

Of Ta Bi, Le Bris said: “Yes, it's a shame because it was a good opportunity for him. We didn't solve the visa problem. He will join next week with the squad in Sunderland.”