Its fair to say Sunderland haven't had the greatest of seasons from a performance point of view, but on the injury front David Moyes' side have been nothing short of unfortunate. Some of the Black Cats' most key players, Jan Kirchoff, Lee Cattermole and Victor Anichebe have had lengthy injuries and should all be back within the next three to four weeks, but Moyes has told fans not to expect too much too soon from the returning players.

Frustration for injured players

Kirchhoff is a fan favourite but has struggled to see out a full 90 minutes ever since he transferred to the Stadium of Light just over one year ago. The German is back in full training and should be in line to face Burnley in a must win game for Sunderland on Saturday. The 26-year-old will play a big part in breaking up the play against an offensive Burnley side, just as he has when he's been in the team previously.

More of a wait for other sidelined players

Unlike Kirchhoff, Cattermole and Anichebe won't be back for at least another three to four weeks. Anichebe hasn't played since January after twisting his knee against West Brom and Cattermole has only played three games all season.

A desperate need for three points

Sunderland sit at the foot of the Premier League, six point adrift from safety and Moyes knows he needs as many of his key players back into the first team as possible if they are to have any chance of beating the drop.

The Managers comments

In a recent interview with the Sunderland Echo, Moyes stated his desire to get the three players back in contention: "I’m hoping to get Victor back at the beginning of April, we’re looking at around another three weeks. There’s a chance Lee Cattermole could be back in three weeks, I’m not convinced but I’m hoping so, we’d be hoping then for Kirchhoff certainly."

Moyes also spoke about how hard it is for players to get back in the squad and perform, with the pressure being on them to do so: "The thing is people have been out injured, you can’t expect them to come back and hit the ground running, they’ve been out so long and they’ve missed so much."

Looking for revenge

The first team squad have been given a few days off ahead of their huge clash with Burnley. The Black Cats will be looking for three points to not only narrow the gap between other sides, but to get revenge on their opponents after being beaten twice already this season.