Wanderers and Sunderland will take a welcome break from the relegation dogfight when they compete for a place in the FA Cup fourth round at the Reebok on January 4.
The Premiership strugglers were paired together in yesterday's third round draw and only the most optimistic fans will be expecting a classic.
The two teams fought out a dour 1-1 draw at the Reebok on October 28 and will treat the FA Cup as second priority behind Premiership survival.
Reebok boss Sam Allardyce last week revealed he will not risk injury to players for the prize of a place in the next round of the Cup and his Sunderland counterpart Howard Wilkinson is believed to be like-minded.
Wanderers have a far more important league game at Aston Villa just three days earlier, giving little recuperation time for any players who suffer knocks and pulls in that game which could give fringe players another chance to impress.
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