Richardson missed the 1-0 victory over Liverpool after being sent off at Manchester United.
Lee Cattermole is out with a knee ligament injury and John Mensah (calf) is also out, but Kenwyne Jones, who was carried off with a twisted ankle on Saturday, trained on Friday and is expected to be fit, as are Bolo Zenden (hip) and Andy Reid (calf).
Sunderland (from): Gordon, Fulop, Bardsley, Richardson, McCartney, Ferdinand, Turner, Nosworthy, Da Silva, Cana, Reid, Malbranque, Henderson, Zenden, Bent, Jones, Campbell, Murphy, Healy.
