ENGLISH PREMIER BETTING PREVIEW - MANCHESTER CITY VS SUNDERLAND

English Premier

2025-12-06 - Manchester City vs Sunderland

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Manchester City v Sunderland
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 6th December 2025 - Kick Off 3pm

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Manchester City

After 54 minutes, everything seemed to be going exactly as Manchester City and Pep Guardiola would have wanted- they were closing the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal, Erling Haaland had scored his 100th Premier League goal and Manchester City were leading 1-5 at Craven Cottage ahead of a busy festive period and thoughts may have turned to resting key players.

Those were quickly erased as Manchester City suddenly conceded goal after goal after goal and they needed a goal-line clearance to secure the three points in West London. The manager has made it clear he is taking the positives from the overall performance, but Pep Guardiola will be aware that Manchester City need to improve defensively having blown a 2-0 lead last weekend and needing an injury time winner on that occasion.

Manchester City have won back to back games after returning from the November international game with consecutive defeats, but they are not quite as convincing as any of the supporters would like. The late Phil Foden goal to beat Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday does mean Manchester City have won 8 of the last 9 home games in all competitions.

Rodri is inching closer to a return and could be part of the match day squad. After winning 4-5 at Craven Cottage and with Real Madrid to come in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola could choose to make some rotations to the starting eleven.

Sunderland

There have been very little sign of a complete collapse from this Sunderland team, although the upcoming challenge will be to deal with the loss of a number of key players who will be competing in the African Cup of Nations. That is an issue for Regis Le Bris to address in two weeks time, but for now his Sunderland team continue to play with pride and plenty of fight and that has meant the points have been ticking over.

No one around the Stadium of Light really wants to talk about European Football in December and the main focus is to make sure they retain Premier League status after promotion through the Championship Play Off. The Black Cats do have 23 points on the board, which puts them well on the way to achieving the first aim, and they have a solid 2-2-3 away record in the top flight ahead of the next big test.

Sunderland conceded late on at Anfield, but the 1-1 draw means they have lost just 1 of the last 7 Premier League games played, although 3 of the last 5 have ended in draws. However, that result against the Champions has to be seen as a point gained, especially as Sunderland have lost 2 of the last 4 away Premier League games.

The squad looks to have come through the game at Anfield on Wednesday unscathed, but Regis Le Bris may choose to just freshen up his options.

Head to Head

Manchester City won both Premier League games when these clubs last met in the 2016/17 season.

They have won 3 in a row at the Etihad Stadium against this opponent.

Prediction

Results continue to be churned out by this Sunderland team who have been the big surprise in the Premier League through the opening fourteen games played.

They perhaps did not offer a lot going forward at Anfield on Wednesday, but Sunderland took advantage of an error and ultimately may feel they were unfortunate to draw 1-1.

It is a point gained, but you have to factor in the amount of effort the team had to put into a fixture played on Wednesday and now having to travel to another tough away ground against an opponent that has had twenty-four hours longer to prepare.

Pep Guardiola's team have been struggling defensively, which is going to offer encouragement to Sunderland, but they have scored eight goals in beating Leeds United and Fulham. Manchester City have been in a really strong position in both of those games before defensive lapses have held them back, but having a bit more time to prepare should mean this is a good scheduling spot for one of the title contenders.

Sunderland have shown plenty of resiliency this season and they will be a threat from set pieces, but the underlying numbers suggests teams have had plenty more chances against them than being created by The Black Cats. That is particularly evident in recent away losses at Manchester United and Fulham and the feeling is that Manchester City will have too much for Sunderland this weekend, especially if there is any fatigue left over from a big effort made on Wednesday.

It was an effort made just days after fighting back from 0-2 down to beat Bournemouth at home and so it feels like an opportunity for Manchester City to secure a relatively comfortable victory, even after recent less than comfortable defensive performances.

The Pick :

Manchester City 2-0 Sunderland

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Manchester City - 1.5 Asian Handicap at 1.70 with Bet365