Blackburn midfielder Vince Grella has been ruled out for four weeks with a hamstring injury.

The Australian suffered the setback in the defeat by Chelsea on Sunday and will now miss Wednesday's Carling Cup match against Sunderland.

Keith Andrews is ineligible while Roque Santa Cruz (hamstring), Andre Ooijer (knee) and Brett Emerton (hamstring) are all sidelined through injury.

Rovers boss Paul Ince has championed opposite number Roy Keane as "a leader of men" and backed his former Manchester United team-mate to turn Sunderland's fortunes around.

The two men come face to face at the Stadium of Light, and Ince is looking forward to the reunion.

It is a welcome diversion from the Barclays Premier League for both teams, who are finding it hard to get points.

Ince said: "I am not surprised Roy went into management. We had a great partnership at United. He was a fantastic player and we had some good times together. He was always a leader of men.

"I wish him all the success in the world. He is a young manager learning his trade, just like me.

"He has spent a few quid at Sunderland and it is still a struggle for him. It just shows you how competitive the league is.

"But he needs time as he is trying to build something there. He will need three or four years to get to where he wants. We want to be in the same boat."

Ince is indebted to Keane for the encouragement he gave him when he was starting out in management at League Two side Macclesfield.

They were adrift at the foot of the table when he arrived but he managed to keep them in the league before moving to MK Dons and securing promotion.

Ince said: "When I was at Macclesfield and we were the 92nd team in the league, he was the one who was always ringing me up and texting me, saying, `Good luck, I hope you get a result'.

"I repaid that favour when he was in the Championship with Sunderland, so we've had that relationship for years."

Meanwhile, Keane has ruled striker Kenwyne Jones out of Wednesday's clash as he awaits news on his knee injury.

The Trinidad and Tobago international was due to see a specialist on Tuesday after undergoing a scan on the problem he aggravated in training on Friday.

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon and striker Martyn Waghorn (both ankle) and George McCartney (foot) will also be missing, while Daryl Murphy is struggling with the dead leg which forced him off at half time against Portsmouth on Saturday.

Keane has told his players they need to work as hard as their Arsenal and Manchester United counterparts if they ever want to have a chance of matching them.

The Black Cats' boss is still marvelling at the exhibition his former club and their arch-rivals put on at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The Irishman left his players in little doubt as to what is required of them if they are to take the club to the next level, after seeing the star-studded teams put together by Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson not only demonstrate their full repertoires - but put in the hard yards too.

Keane said: "They would have been watching it before our game, because it kicked off early.

"It was mentioned in my talk, before and after the game.

"It was one of the best games I have seen for many a year. I was enthralled by it.

"It's a good reminder to the modern footballer that you have got to run; you have got to be as fit as you possibly can, as strong as you possibly can.

"It was an absolutely amazing game of football. The standard was absolutely brilliant, the intensity. That is what the Premier League is all about."

Sunderland will have the chance to bounce back from three successive Barclays Premier League defeats - which have left them one place from bottom in the table - against Rovers.

Ince's side, who also provide the opposition in the league at Ewood Park on Saturday, will arrive on Wearside themselves looking to make amends for Sunday's home defeat by Chelsea - hoping to end a run of six matches without a victory.