English Premier
2026-04-12 - Sunderland vs Tottenham Hotspur
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 12th April 2026 - Kick Off 2pm
This game is live on TV
Sunderland
The FA Cup Fifth Round defeat at Port Vale may have been the low point of a hugely successful season, but completing the Premier League double over Newcastle United is a definite high. The win at St James' Park just before the March international break will have given Sunderland fans three weeks of real joy, but Regis Le Bris will be urging this squad to remain focused on the return to competitive action.
Surviving on the return to the top flight was the main ambition for Sunderland, but they have far exceeded the expectations for the club and they are 11th in the Premier League table with a genuine chance of earning a European spot. That will put some pressure on the squad next season with the extra games that would need to be managed, but this is a club with big dreams and Sunderland will focus one game at a time. The Black Cats have a 7-5-3 record at the Stadium of Light where they will be hosting this Sunday.
Sunderland had won 2 of the previous 8 games in all competitions and one of those had been in the FA Cup run, but they recovered from conceding early in the Tyne-Wear derby to win 1-2 at St James' Park last time out. They had been unbeaten through 12 Premier League games played at the Stadium of Light, but Sunderland have lost each of the last 3 top flight games here.
Robin Roefs and Dan Ballard are hoping to be available this weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur
There will not have been many Tottenham Hotspur supporters who would have been surprised to hear that Igor Tudor had parted ways with the club after a terrible short spell in charge. Not every fans has been behind the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi, but Tottenham Hotspur need everyone on the same page if they are going to avoid an embarrassing and stunning relegation.
After the heavy home loss to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur are just a point above the drop zone and will be kicking off in the relegation spots if West Ham United have won on Friday night. The experience of De Zerbi from his time managing Brighton will help, but Spurs will look to improve the 5-5-5 away record in the Premier League and try and build some positivity.
Tottenham Hotspur's sole victory under Igor Tudor as an interim manager was the 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, but they were still beaten 7-5 on aggregate. The real concern is that Spurs have not won any of the last 13 Premier League games, while they have earned a single point from the last 7 League fixtures to slump towards the bottom three. Tottenham Hotspur had lost 3 away games in a row in all competitions before salvaging a 1-1 draw at Liverpool deep into injury time.
A host of players remain absent for Tottenham Hotspur, but the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Pape Sarr and Mathys Tel are hoping to be able to assist in keeping the club in the top flight. Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur are others hoping to be available this weekend, but first choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is expected to miss out.
Head to Head
These two teams drew 1-1 at Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season.
Sunderland have not won any of the last 7 at home against Tottenham Hotspur, but are hosting them for the first time since January 2017.
Prediction
This is not an easy fixture to call three weeks after the last Premier League games were played.
If it had been played in the days following those results, Sunderland would likely have been a big favourite- they had just won at Newcastle United, while Tottenham Hotspur suffered an embarrassing 0-3 home defeat to Nottingham Forest to slip to the edge of the precipice and the bottom three of the Premier League table.
However, as mentioned, three weeks have passed.
Igor Tudor has unsurprisingly been let go as interim manager and instead Roberto De Zerbi will be taking charge of Tottenham Hotspur for the first time. Unlike his predecessor, De Zerbi does have a real knowledge of the English game from his time managing Brighton, while this is a manager that has gotten players to really understand his way and produced some quality results with The Seagulls and Marseille.
The extra week working on the training ground has to be a positive for Tottenham Hotspur, while Roberto De Zerbi will believe he can keep the attacking side of the game motoring in the right direction. Tottenham Hotspur have been creating chances, but the real test for the new manager is making sure Spurs are much more effective defensively having continued to give away cheap goals.
Tottenham Hotspur are still without some key players, but the first choice centre half pairing are available and that is a big help.
In saying all that, they are going to be tested by a Sunderland team who should be healthier than they were ahead of the March international break. The double over Newcastle United will have given everyone at the club a lift and Sunderland have been pretty good at home all season, even if they have lost the last 3 Premier League games here.
They were not at their best in the defeats to Liverpool and Brighton, but Sunderland played pretty well in the loss to Fulham.
Defensively they will be hoping there is an improvement with regular faces back from injury, while Sunderland will certainly feel they have the character and quality to do some damage in the final third.
A new manager bounce did not work out nearly as expected when Tottenham Hotspur appointed Igor Tudor until the summer, but the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi makes this a tougher fixture to read.
You have to expect Spurs to eventually showcase some of the quality they can still call upon, but the new manager may have to wait for a first win.
There is every chance Tottenham Hotspur can sneak a draw here against a Sunderland team that had just hit the wall a little bit before the win over Newcastle United.
Regis Le Bris' team will not score a lot of goals, but they do not concede a lot either and this may be a fixture in which the home team can secure a victory with the expectation being that Tottenham Hotspur will have a big reaction to a new manager. That expectation may not manifest in reality with the pressure on the squad and Sunderland are worthy of backing on any 'Draw No Bet' market.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
