- Sunderland are unbeaten in four at home, winning three and drawing one.
- Fulham have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five.
- Fulham have avoided defeat in Sunderland's last two home games.
Style clash at the Stadium of Light
Sunderland welcome Fulham to the Stadium of Light in an intriguing matchup on Sunday when two teams with contrasting styles meet in the Premier League 2026-2027 season.
Régis Le Bris has the Black Cats pressing high up the pitch in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation, seeking quick turnovers, direct breaks and a chance to hurt opponents on the counter-attack and from set pieces.
Álvaro Arbeloa, however, is beginning to turn Fulham into a structured 4-3-3 side that can press in unison and pick the right moments to press or drop off to play through the lines in a bid for greater control of games.
Sunderland's recent record is six wins, one draw and three defeats in their last ten in all competitions, which is a solid run of results for a team of their stature and they are coming into this fixture unbeaten in four at home after three wins and a draw.
Fulham's recent form has also been mixed with two wins, two draws and one defeat across their last five. The Cottagers came back from a 1-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the previous round with a 1-0 victory over VfB Stuttgart in midweek.
Fulham can nick it from Sunderland
Fulham are the narrow betting favourites at 2.7, with Sunderland 2.52 and the draw at 3.3, so we are leaning towards the Cottagers to nick this match because they are the more likely team to take the game to the hosts and create more chances.
They won 3-1 away when these sides last met six months ago, won the last two head-to-heads and have avoided defeat in Sunderland's last two at the Stadium of Light.
But we won't back them in the outright market as we expect this to be a close matchup and the Black Cats have more to gain. An alternative bet on under 2.5 goals at 1.8 looks a sharp angle on this one too as the game could be tight and tense.
Nilson Angulo is Sunderland's main goal threat after scoring one goal in one Premier League appearance this season.
