- Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are in stellar form, winning four of their last five matches, including a current four-game winning streak.
- The Citizens have won both of their Premier League 2026/2027 home games (W2), scoring 1.50 goals per-game and conceding 0.50.
- Sunderland have won two, drawn one, and lost two of their last five games.
An epic clash of tactical minds
Manchester City enter Sunday's game at the Etihad Stadium coming off the back of a 1-0 Premier League win over Coventry City, after their 1-4 away win against Crystal Palace and a 0-2 UEFA Champions League win against FC Porto.
Erling Haaland remains the main threat for the Citizens, who have made an excellent start to the new season and currently sit 2nd in the table with nine points from their opening three games.
Sunderland have four points from their first four games and sit 14th in the Premier League 2026/2027. The Black Cats made a positive start with a 1-0 win at home to Hull City in the EFL Cup, before losing 0-2 at home to Arsenal in the Premier League.
Sunderland need to be solid at the back
Manchester City are the hot favourites for this clash at 1/4 and it is hard to back anything other than a home win, although the draw at 17/4 and both teams to score - No at 3/4 makes far more sense from the odds on offer.
That's because Sunderland could make this game a real chess match and Régis Le Bris has made them a versatile side who can press the opposition hard or sit deep and look to punish City on the counter.
Enzo Maresca has the City side playing a control-heavy game, with wide overloads and some intelligent defensive rest. City are on the front foot in every game and their wide pressure will test the compact Sunderland block.
The last meeting between these sides finished 0-0 at Sunderland and while City are unbeaten in the last two, winning one and drawing one, there is a real chance that this could be a cagey affair if Sunderland keep things tight.
Haaland to make the difference
Haaland has three goals in three Premier League 2026/2027 games, while he has also scored three times in City's last five. He is the main danger in this game, with Enzo Le Fee Sunderland's sharpest edge after one goal in four appearances. Habib Diarra has made a strong start to his Premier League career for the Black Cats, contributing one assist in two games.
