Sunderland mid-week draw at Anfield suggests the Black Cats could be difficult opponents for Manchester City on Saturday.
By Graham Ruthven
Nothing for granted
Few would have predicted that only five points would separate Manchester City and Sunderland in the Premier League table after 14 games of the 2025/26 season.
Tipped by many for an immediate return to the Championship, the Black Cats have been a surprise package since promotion with the 1-1 draw away to Liverpool on Wednesday another indication of how far they have come.
City beat Fulham 24 hours beforehand, but in a manner that only generated more questions about Pep Pep Guardiola’s side. Their 5-4 win at Craven Cottage certainly wasn’t comfortable.
History favours Manchester City who have won 12 of their last 14 home matches against Sunderland in all competitions. They have also scored two or more goals in their last nine home meetings with the Black Cats.
This particular Sunderland team, however, is clearly more capable of causing a shock than the ones that went before. City can’t take anything for granted.
Key players
Phil Foden has looked more like his old self in his recent performances, scoring four goals in his last two outings against Leeds and Fulham. The England international is playing with greater energy and getting into better areas.
Fresh from netting his 100th Premier League goal in the win over Fulham during the week, Erling Haaland is well and truly established as the most fearsome finisher in English football.
Getting service to Haaland, however, will be key to getting the best out of the Norwegian striker. If Sunderland can cut that supply line, they stand a better chance of a positive result at the Etihad Stadium.
Dan Ballard is a physical presence at the back for the Black Cats. The 26-year-old is a rock in defence and a threat in the opposition box, as he demonstrated by scoring a header against Arsenal last month.
Brian Brobbey is another Sunderland player who could test Manchester City in a physical sense. The Dutch striker has registered goal contributions against Arsenal and Chelsea this season and will be a handful once again this weekend.
Granit Xhaka has been a revelation for Sunderland since joining in the summer. Against City, however, the Swiss international might have his hands full. The hosts could overwhelm the visitors in the centre of the pitch.
Team news
Rodri and Mateo Kovačić remain sidelined through injury, meaning Nico González and Tijani Reijnders will likely start again at the base of the Manchester City midfield on Saturday.
Guardiola might be tempted to rotate the team that started against Fulham only a few days ago, but this backfired in the recent Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen. City could keep the changes to a minimum.
Aji Alese and Habib Diarra are the only two Sunderland players expected to miss Saturday’s trip to the Etihad Stadium. Otherwise, Régis Le Bris has a fully fit and available squad to choose from.
Prediction
Sunderland have done well against the top sides they’ve come up against, since their promotion, and they are in the top six on merit but a result here might be a stretch too far. We’ll back the hosts in what could be another tight contest: Manchester City 2-1 Sunderland.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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