Having been sent off at the weekend for a pair of terrible challenges, Sunderland pair Lee Cattermole and Andrea Dossena will both miss three games for the club.
The run for both players starts with Southampton in the Capital One Cup this Wednesday, and also includes games against Manchester City and Stoke City.
It comes as a blow to the club to lose two players who were both starting to re-establish themselves in the side, although neither will feel that their cards were unjust.
Gus Poyet will have to rejig his side for the upcoming games, and there are options available to him.
Dossena could well be replaced either Jack Colback or Ondrej Celustka, should the Uruguayan be open to swapping Phil Bardsley to left-back. The likelihood however would be that Colback slots in their.
Taking spots in the midfield would most likely be Craig Gardner and Ki Seung-Yong, although with David Vaughan away on loan, options in the middle become thin. However there is the outside chance that Emanuele Giaccherini could come in, having played in a similar role on occasions for Juventus last season.