Sunderland and Bournemouth will be desperate to end their winless runs when they lock horns at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Saturday with Gameweek 13. The latest round of fixtures will kick-start with three simultaneous matches, including Sunderland vs Bournemouth at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland’s surprisingly electric start to the season has given way to a pear-shaped run of form heading into the festive period. While the Black Cats are still in line to end the recent promotion curse, their three-game winless run threatens to send them tumbling in the Premier League standings, as they have fallen to seventh spot.
The same issue has plagued Bournemouth in the last few weeks, as Andoni Iraola’s men have failed to win four of their five most recent Premier League games. This period has ended an excellent unbeaten run for the Cherries after they soared through the Premier League table in the first two months.
The most recent Premier League game between Sunderland and Bournemouth at the Stadium of Light ended in a 1-0 win for the Cherries in April 2017. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Sunderland
Regis Le Bris has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Sunderland manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs Bournemouth on Saturday.
Habib Diarra is the most notable absentee, as the summer signing continues to recover from a groin injury. Meanwhile, Aji Alese remains in the treatment room due to a shoulder issue. However, the duo should return soon, and they will be at Regis Le Bris’s disposal in a few weeks.
Robin Roefs is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Sunderland lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth on Saturday. The central defensive unit will feature Nordi Mukiele, Dan Ballard, and Lutsharel Geertruida. Meanwhile, Trai Hume and Reinildo Mandava will be the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will primarily protect the centre-backs, but they will also provide the forward thrust from the flanks. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki. Finally, Wilson Isidor will lead the line for Sunderland against Bournemouth, with Enzo Le Fee and Bertrand Traore being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Roefs; Mukiele, Ballard, Geertruida; Hume, Xhaka, Sadiki, Reinildo; Traore, Isidor, Le Fee
Bournemouth
Unlike his counterpart in the Sunderland dugout, Andoni Iraola has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Stadium of Light. The Bournemouth manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Antoine Semenyo should be fit and available after recovering from an illness and a minor ankle injury. However, Matai Akinmboni (unspecified), Justin Kluivert (groin), and Ben Doak (hamstring) remain in the treatment room.
Djordje Petrovic will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Sunderland on Saturday. The backline will feature Adam Smith, Bafode Diakite, Marcos Senesi, and Adrien Truffert.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Alex Scott and Tyler Adams in the double pivot. Marcus Tavernier will reprise the no. 10 role, with David Brooks and Antoine Semenyo being the two wide attackers. Finally, Evanilson will spearhead the Bournemouth attack against Sunderland on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Smith, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Adams; Brooks, Tavernier, Semenyo; Evanilson
Key Stats
- Saturday’s clash will be the first Premier League meeting between Sunderland and Bournemouth since April 2017, with the Cherries winning 1-0 at the Stadium of Light to confirm Sunderland’s relegation from the top flight. The Cherries have won two of their four Premier League games against Sunderland (D1 L1), having not won any of their first four league clashes with the Black Cats between 1988 and 1990 (D1 L3).
- Sunderland are unbeaten at home in the Premier League thus far in the 2025/26 season (W3 D3), picking up only two fewer points in six games this term (12) than they did at home in the whole of their last campaign in the top flight in 2016/17 (14 in 19 games).
- Bournemouth have lost four of their seven most recent Premier League away games (W1 D2), as many as in their previous 18 on the road (W7 D7). The Cherries have lost their two most recent away matches, last losing three consecutive clashes in November 2023.
- No side’s Premier League games have seen fewer goals this season than Sunderland’s (25 – F14 A11). Just eight of these have come in the first half (F4 A4), also a league-low figure. Meanwhile, only West Ham United’s (40) Premier League matches have seen more goals than Bournemouth’s this term (39 – F19 A20).
- Sunderland are one of three teams (along with Arsenal and Manchester City) yet to concede more than twice in a Premier League match this season. Robin Roefs has the highest save percentage of any Premier League goalkeeper this term (79.3%).
Player to Watch
Antoine Semenyo
While Evanilson, Wilson Isidor, and Granit Xhaka were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Antoine Semenyo as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Sunderland and Bournemouth at the Stadium of Light.
Having been involved in nine goals in his first seven Premier League appearances this season (G6 A3), the Bournemouth attacker has failed to either score or assist a goal in any of his last four outings. The Ghanaian international’s poor run has coincided with Bournemouth’s drop in recent weeks, and he will be eager to turn things around this weekend.
Prediction
Sunderland 2-2 Bournemouth
When two teams eager to return to winning ways clash, an end-to-end affair is usually on the cards. Additionally, we should see an action-packed clash, considering a win can take either team into the top four. That will lead to a game where there may not be much to separate the two sides.
Antoine Semenyo, Wilson Isidor, and David Brooks will be on fire this weekend, and the two defensive units will struggle to keep things tight. The Hard Tackle predicts a closely-contested affair that will end in an engrossing 2-2 stalemate.