premier league,
Round 5
Manchester City
MCI
20/09/2026
14:00
Sunderland
SUN
-
place
- Etihad Stadium
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referee
- Robert Jones
Manchester City-Sunderland preview
Enzo Maresca has warned Sunderland will give Manchester City their toughest test of the season.
City have won all six of their outings so far, including four in the Premier League to sit at the top of the table alongside reigning champions Arsenal.
Sunderland won 2-1 at Chelsea last season when Maresca was Blues manager and the Italian knows the Wearsiders, fresh from a 1-0 Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar, will be dangerous opponents.
“I watched them the last two days, three or four games. I know them, how strong they are, and I feel we need a top performance to beat them, to be 100% to win. I watched the game live against Arsenal (in the 2-0 defeat last Saturday), and again the last two days. If you watch them, you can see how strong they are,” he said.
“They are very strong, very well trained. They have time together, you see what they want to do on and off the ball. My feeling is that Sunday will be the toughest game since the start of the season. If you watch them, you will not be surprised (how well they have done), because you will realize how good they are, on the ball, off the ball, how aggressive they are, the amount of duels they win.
“The team got promoted then (qualifies for) Europe, you’re surprised, but if you watch, you’re not surprised because you realize how good they are. But in front of our fans, it’s always nice and special, much better here than away. It’s important if we win, it’s one more. But I have a feeling that Sunderland will be the toughest since we started the season.”
City have not always been at their best this season as the players understand Maresca’s methods after several years under Pep Guardiola.
He added: “They (the wins) have been more or less different. (Against) Bournemouth, we kept fighting until the end. Palau away was a very good performance on and off the ball. We were very good. I think wins (that) always help you improve. But for sure Bournemouth, the way we won, was very important.”
Sunderland will head to the Etihad with confidence after the euphoria of their successful return to Europe. And boss Regis Le Bris was keen to underline the quality of his side rather than worry too much about their expensive visitors.
“Manchester City have players everywhere,” smiled the Frenchman. “So if we start looking at their strength, we can’t play. It’s better to focus on us, how can we manage their threat and how can we create threats as well? I think we’re getting better in that area.”
Premier League table
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position 1, 2, 3, 4: Promotion – Champions League (League stage)
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position 5: Promotion – Europa League (League phase)
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position 18, 19, 20: Relegation – Championship
Manchester City v Sunderland Team News
Phil Foden is suspended following his red card in the Manchester derby, but Jeremy Doku is “probably” fit enough to feature, according to Maresca.
Sunderland left-back Reinildo is also suspended with France Under-21 international Dayann Methalie set to make her first Premier League start. Romaine Mundle (knee) and Habib Diarra (hamstring) are sidelined.
Expected line-ups for Manchester City-Sunderland
Manchester City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Dias, Guardiol; Anderson, Fernandez, Semenyo, Cherki, Ndiaye; Haaland
Sunderland: Roefs; Mukiele, Alderete, Ballard, Methalie; Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fee, Meunier, Talbi; Brobbey
Manchester City v Sunderland recent form and stats
- City striker Erling Haaland has faced 25 Premier League teams and scored against 24 of them. Sunderland is the weirdest.
- City have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four games in all competitions
- City have lost just two of their last 30 Premier League games
- Sunderland have not won any of their 14 Premier League trips to Manchester City
- City won the corresponding fixture last season 3-0
Where to watch Manchester City v Sunderland: TV and online streaming
Manchester City v Sunderland kicks off at 2pm on Sunday. You can watch the game as part of Sky Sports’ Super Sunday and stream it via the Sky Go app.
Details of the global issue can be found at premierleague.com.
Manchester City-Sunderland Prediction
City were able to rest most of their big names for their midweek EFL Cup win against Norwich, while Sunderland’s win over AZ Alkmaar was physically and mentally draining.
Add in City’s superior quality and they should win this at a gallop.
Manchester City
3-0
Sunderland
