- Sutton form: Sutton are unbeaten in four of their last five pre-season games, with wins against Folkestone Invicta, Horsham and Tonbridge Angels.
- Woking form: Woking's pre-season has been patchy, with a 2-0 win over Sholing, but losses to Reading, Braintree Town and Portsmouth.
- History: Sutton are undefeated in the league against Woking since 2017, taking three of the last four meetings.
Sutton United are an exciting play in the opening-day game
Pre-season form
Sutton United will be an opponent for Woking FC when the two clubs clash at Laithwaite Community Stadium on Saturday, but there is no denying that the visitors have looked good so far in pre-season. Chris Agutter's side, who have been playing some front-foot, high-pressing soccer in a base system of 4-2-3-1 this pre-season, have seen off Folkestone Invicta, Horsham and Tonbridge Angels so far. They have done it by getting up and down the pitch quickly with their transitions while scoring goals from several sources, although they have been solid at the back.
Key players
- Noah Nzuzi was a spark for them in the win over Folkestone Invicta and he carries some nice form into the season opener.
- Josh Osude provides another cutting edge up top while Lewis Simper and Temi Babalola bring craft and movement between the lines.
It’s going to be a tight game
Woking's performances in the build-up have been a little more patchy as they come to terms with life under interim leadership. The Cards finished last season with a 1-0 home defeat to FC Halifax Town in which a late own goal summed up their day.
Harry Beautyman is the heartbeat in midfield, Aiden O'Brien can get at defenders with his direct play and in his goal, Will Jääskeläinen is one of the more assured glovemen around. Josh Kelly is another name to watch for the hosts as his return from injury should give them a little more of a punch in the final third.
These two clubs will both start on 0pts in the National League 2026-2027 so this will be all about momentum and bragging rights in the opener. Over 2.5 goals at 1.63 and both teams to score at 1.55 are available in the match markets, which is a recipe for an open game – although BTTS looks the better angle in a game that could go either way.
Sutton set to edge it
Sutton have been the better of these two teams in pre-season and the head-to-head also favours the visitors, who have 50 wins to Woking's 27 and 11 draws in the all-time match pack. The most recent meetings have been a shade closer with Sutton edging a 1-1 draw in May 2025 and taking the win 2-1 in this fixture at the end of September 2024.
Sutton look the more likely winners on Saturday but with Woking having home advantage and the edge of an interim-response factor, it seems a stretch to back the 1.87 away victory on offer. The likelier script is for a narrow win, so 1-0 or 2-1 feels more realistic than 3-0 or 4-0.
Woking will defend compact and look to break with a hybrid shape, so this should be a clash of speed against structure with Sutton's pace likely to test the compact press of the home side.
