An in-form Leeds United side travels to Wearside to renew their rivalry with Sunderland in this game of high stakes for both teams.
Regis Le Bris will want to see massive improvements from his Sunderland side if they want to fulfil their European aspirations, and the game against Leeds United presents a potential banana skin. The Black Cats are sitting in seventh place in the table and well within range of a top-four spot at the moment, although results have been a bit inconsistent of late.
While they have lost just once in their last five games, which came against title challengers Manchester City, they have drawn two of their last four. The solitary victory in that period came against arch-rivals Newcastle United at home, but they must get regular wins to keep momentum in a top-four race.
Still one of the two teams in the Premier League who are unbeaten at home, Sunderland will aim to keep that run going on Sunday when they host Leeds United. It is a renewal of their rivalry from the Championship, and Le Bris will want a win to gather momentum ahead of the next two games, as they face Manchester City and then Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Leeds United are on a resurgent run, as Daniel Farke appears to have turned things around at the club. Questions were being asked of the German tactician following a run of four straight defeats, and adding another one in that set of results would have added to the pressure.
At the time, Leeds United were primed to be one of the favourites to fight a relegation battle, but Farke has since overseen a run of four unbeaten games. That includes wins over Chelsea and Crystal Palace, as well as fighting draws with Liverpool and Brentford.
The only caveat of that run is that three of those results came on home soil, and the Brentford result may not offer much of a precursor to how they might fare on the road. Hence, the visit to Sunderland will be a big test, especially against Le Bris’s side, who are unbeaten at the Stadium of Light.
Team News & Tactics
Sunderland
Regis Le Bris is yet to experience any significant drop in form owing to the raft of absentees who are representing their respective nations at the AFCON. The likes of Arthur Masuaku, Reinildo Mandava, Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, and Bertrand Traore are missing.
The only caveat here is that Ivory Coast left out Simon Adingra from their squad, so the winger is available to feature and is likely to play against Leeds United. As a result of the many absentees, Chris Rigg is also likely to get a run in the team moving ahead. Le Bris tried Lutsharel Geertruida in central midfield alongside skipper Granit Xhaka, and might continue that partnership in the middle for the time being.
Furthermore, the Sunderland boss had opted for a back four in the previous game. So, the same system might continue with the ones starting against Brighton keeping their places intact against Leeds United, with Nordi Mukiele and Trai Hume in the full-back roles.
There may be issues with a lack of depth on the bench, but apart from the AFCON absentees and the suspended Luke O’Nien, Le Bris has a relatively injury-free squad at the moment. Brian Brobbey will lead the line with support from Chris Rigg, Adingra and Enzo Le Fee in the attacking third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Roefs; Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Hume; Xhaka, Geertruida; Rigg, Le Fee, Adingra; Brobbey
Leeds United
Unlike Sunderland, Leeds United do not have any AFCON-related absentees at the moment, but they do have a few injury-enforced ones. While the list is relatively small, forwards Lukas Nmecha and Daniel James are out of contention, while Sean Longstaff is also set to miss out.
Otherwise, Daniel Farke is widely expected to name a strong lineup away from home, with Ethan Ampadu set to lead the midfield setup comprising Anton Stach and Brenden Aaronson. The attack will be led by the in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with Noa Okafor set to partner with the former Everton man in a front two.
Joe Rodon will continue to form a big part of the back three, something that has worked in recent games for Farke. Jaka Bijol is also playing a key part at the back, while Pascal Struijk will complete the back three for Leeds United against Sunderland.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Perri; Rodon, Bijol, Struijk; Bogle, Aaronson, Ampadu, Stach, Gudmundsson; Calvert-Lewin, Okafor
Key Stats
- Sunderland have lost eight of their ten Premier League games against Leeds (W2), with Sunday’s clash the first between the sides in the competition since Boxing Day 2002 and a 2-1 win for the Whites at the Stadium of Light.
- Sunderland are unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season. However, the Black Cats have won just once in their last five games in the Premier League.
- Leeds United are unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches (W2 D2), all against teams starting the day above them in the table. However, they have not won any of their last nine away from home in the competition against teams above them, losing eight of those clashes (D1) since a 4-2 win at Wolves in March 2023.
- Sunderland have the lowest xG from open play in the Premier League this season (7.6) and are the only team in the division who have not had a single match with 1+ xG in open play so far this term.
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored in his last five games in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Having written his name in Leeds United’s books to become only the fourth player to score five games in a row, he could be angling for goal for the sixth game now. The last Leeds player to score in six top-flight games in a row was John McCole in the 1959/60 campaign.
The form that Calvert-Lewin is in right now makes him probably the best centre-forward right now, and Daniel Farke will want the striker to use this momentum at the moment. Meanwhile, this is a big test for Leeds United away from home against a team that is unbeaten at this venue since the season began. Hence, there will be a big emphasis on his players like Calvert-Lewin, who might perform and take advantage of the form he is in right now.
Prediction
Sunderland 2-1 Leeds United
Leeds United could come into this clash with Sunderland full of confidence owing to their four-game unbeaten run, but this clash at the Stadium of Light could be a big test of their character. Daniel Farke’s side are yet to fully show their credentials on the road, as they could falter in their quest at this venue.
Sunderland may be missing a host of their key stars due to the AFCON, but they are still a strong outfit even without those stars. While there are some concerns over their goalscoring form, Le Bris can get the rhythm out of his players in this game and collect a valuable win in the process. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Regis Le Bris and his charges.
