English Premier
2026-08-30 - Sunderland vs Fulham
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 30th August 2026 - Kick Off 2pm
This game is live on TV
Sunderland
A stunning season that ended with a spot earned in the Europa League means this is one of those rare times that Sunderland will be able to have a full week to prepare for a fixture, at least through much of the next five months. That has to be a positive for Regis Le Bris who will have been stung by the very late goal Sunderland conceded in opening the season with a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town.
The majority view ahead of the season has been that Sunderland will have to expect a slide backwards having overachieved in 2025/26 and now having to deal with European Football alongside domestic commitments. They are expected to be busy ahead of the close of the transfer window and Sunderland will need to put together a strong record at the Stadium of Light from which they can build another solid season.
Sunderland finished the season unbeaten in 4 Premier League games and earned 8 points from a possible 12 to secure a top seven finish, but the loss at Portman Road is a reminder of the narrow margins that can exist in Football. The Black Cats had won 1 of the previous 6 Premier League games at the Stadium of Light before beating Chelsea on the final day and Sunderland had lost 4 of those fixtures.
Simon Adingra is a doubt for the home team ahead of the first competitive fixture at the Stadium of Light this season.
Fulham
Alvaro Arbeloa picked up his first win as manager of Fulham in the League Cup Second Round on Thursday, but he will be chasing his first Premier League points with the club. There will have been some positives from the performance against Chelsea last Monday, but Fulham will want to show stronger defensive shape than they did in conceding three home goals.
After the campaigns under Marco Silva, Fulham fans will have expectations to be met under a relatively inexperienced manager. The board may not have the same ambitions as the former manager, but Fulham do not contemplate relegation and picking up some early points may allow Arbeloa and the squad to just settle down.
Fulham beat Wimbledon 3-0 at Craven Cottage, but they have only won 1 of the last 5 Premier League games going back to last season and they will want to change that narrative quickly. The side have also failed to win any of the last 5 away Premier League games, although Fulham have earned points in 3 of those matches.
Tom Cairney is the only senior player that is expected to miss this trip to the North East.
Head to Head
Fulham did the Premier League double over Sunderland last season.
They won 1-3 at the Stadium of Light and Fulham have lost on just 1 of the last 9 visits to Sunderland.
Prediction
Players will be focused on this upcoming Premier League game, but they would have definitely been tuning in to see who Sunderland will be facing in the Europa League over the next five months. Fans will be really excited too, but manager Regis Le Bris will be looking for a positive reaction from the team after the late goal conceded at Portman Road last weekend.
There is a real belief that Sunderland will drop back in the standings this season with added commitments, but how far is the big question?
Underlying numbers from the home form last season suggests they massively overachieved at the Stadium of Light and that has to be a concern.
However, one of the few matches they did lose here came against Fulham and Alvaro Arbeloa's team are also looking to make amends for an opening weekend defeat.
Fulham were beaten 2-3 at home by Chelsea, but they will have seen enough positives to suggest Alvaro Arbeloa can prevent any hangover from Marco Silva's departure. Visits to this part of the North East have been very productive for Fulham in recent years, but Sunderland have had a full week to prepare and that can see them make this very competitive.
The layers are finding it hard to separate the teams and it may be tough on the field too with the draw looking a real possibility to get both teams off the mark in the new season.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Sunderland 1-1 Fulham
