Sunderland have been dealt an injury blow before they play Queens Park Rangers at home in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Sheffield Wednesday loss

The Stadium of Light outfit will be returning home off the back of a 2-0 loss away at League One Sheffield Wednesday in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

In a much-changed side, there were some notable absentees from the squad, including Leon Dajaku.

The Latest: Dajaku absence

Asked to clarify Dajaku's absence from the squad, Alex Neil revealed (via The Chronicle) that he has picked up an injury, carried over from the 3-2 win away at Bristol City last weekend:

"Unfortunately, Leon wasn't with us due to injury.

"I brought him on at Bristol and he tweaked his thigh. He would have been one I could have maybe put up top, or at wingback because he has played there before.

"It's a minor one [injury], so it's frustrating. He came on at the weekend for Ellis [Simms] because at the moment we have only got two centre-forwards, but Leon has played there for us in pre-season against Roma so he understands the role and knows how to do the job."

It is now unclear whether Dajaku will be fit enough to be involved against QPR this weekend.

The Verdict: Blow

Of course, it is a blow to lose Dajaku for any length of time, especially after he had only just recovered from an illness to play against Bristol City.

The 21-year-old unfortunately missed large parts of last season as well, but performed more often than not when called upon, with four goals and four assists in 22 matches in League One (Transfermarkt), helping them on their way to promotion.

Nonetheless, he remains a key player for Neil's squad, and the Black Cats will hope that this latest setback does not keep him out for too long.