English Premier
2025-12-28 - Sunderland vs Leeds United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 28th December 2025 - Kick Off 2pm
This game is live on TV
Sunderland
The concern for Sunderland fans was that the squad were losing valuable members to the African Cup of Nations, but Regis Le Bris has fostered a really healthy spirit within the group. That has been on show as the team have battled for some big points over the last two weeks and getting the better of North East rivals Newcastle United will be celebrated for weeks.
The fans are allowed those moments, but the manager is keeping the team focused and Sunderland have moved back up into 6th place in the Premier League table after the goalless draw at Brighton last weekend. It has been the form at the Stadium of Light that has caught the eye with Sunderland putting together a 5-3-0 record here in the top flight.
Sunderland have lost 1 of the last 5 Premier League games played and they have earned 8 points from a possible 15 in that run to maintain a push for European Football. They battled for a 1-0 win over Newcastle United in the last fixture played here and Sunderland have won consecutive home League games.
Luke O'Nien completes his suspension, while six players have been called up for the African Cup of Nations.
Leeds United
After being promoted back to the top flight as second tier Champions, the hope was that Leeds United would make a better fight to avoid the drop than other newly promoted clubs over the last couple of years. Daniel Farke may not have been best pleased with the signings made in the summer transfer window, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin has filled a gap that Leeds United have had in the forward line.
A thumping win over Crystal Palace has pushed Leeds United up into 16th place in the Premier League table and they are now 6 points clear of the bottom three. The side have been very good at Elland Road, but have a 1-1-6 away record in the Division and that will likely need to be improved if they are going to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
Leeds United are unbeaten in 4 League games and they have earned 8 points in that run to push clear of the relegation zone. They ended a run of 4 away League defeats in a row in a 1-1 draw with Brentford in the most recent fixture played on their travels.
Lukas Nmecha could potentially return this weekend to add to the numbers in the squad.
Head to Head
Leeds United picked up four points against Sunderland in the Championship last season.
Sunderland have lost 1 of the last 5 home games against Leeds United following the 2-2 draw here in October 2024.
Prediction
In the last couple of Premier League seasons, not only have all three promoted clubs been immediately relegated, but they have not really been very competitive and some worried that a significant gap had developed between the bottom of the top flight and top of the Championship.
Leeds United are doing the best to turn that idea back around, but Sunderland are smashing that talk to bits and both teams meet in the final fixture of 2025 after being promoted together.
Credit has to be given to the managers for the form produced over the last month and that makes this a tougher game to call.
Daniel Farke was seemingly under immense pressure, but he has guided Leeds United to a 4 game unbeaten run and the 8 points earned has opened up a gap to West Ham United in 18th. More impressive is the fact that Leeds United have faced three clubs in the current top eight of the Division in that run, while they were minutes away from earning a positive result at Manchester City before this unbeaten run began.
It should be noted that Leeds United are not as strong on their travels, but they earned a deserved point at Brentford most recently and this is a team that has to be respected.
Regis Le Bris is not taking anything for granted, despite Sunderland having 27 points on the board already and looking very likely to have another season in the top flight. Some fans may also be thinking about dusting off the passport and preparing for European Football at the Stadium of Light, although the manager will insist the main concern is making sure The Black Cats are playing in the Premier League rather than a UEFA competition next season.
Home form has been key for Sunderland and they have continued to show plenty of resiliency despite losing key players to the African Cup of Nations.
Back to back clean sheets underlines the point and Sunderland have shown they can find a way to goal through their set piece and long throw ins.
This may give them the slight edge- Leeds United have not found clean sheets easy to come by and Sunderland might just nick the points behind another solid defensive performance. They have a decent enough recent home record against Leeds United and Sunderland look the right side in any 'Draw No Bet' market available.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Sunderland 1-0 Leeds United
