Former Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Cattermole has sympathised with Julio Arca as he faces up to missing Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round clash with Sunderland.
Black Cats skipper Cattermole go head-to-head with the club at which he first made his mark in the professional game when the sides meet at the Stadium of Light.
However, Argentinian Arca, who left Wearside for the Riverside Stadium in the wake of relegation at the end of the 2005/06 season, will sit out the game after being sent off during Saturday's 3-1 npower Championship defeat at Coventry.
Cattermole said: "He did really well up here and he has done brilliantly in his time at Middlesbrough as well.
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Maybe he will be a loss to them, but we just need to focus on us."