Manchester City and Sunderland both seek a winning start to 2026 at the Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day.
The hosts, winless since December 14 after consecutive draws to end 2025, face visitors arriving on Wearside in search of a ninth straight triumph.
Man City resurrected their title charge with an impressive 15 points from a possible 15, leading up to Saturday’s clash against Nottingham Forest, where they looked set to lose ground on leaders Arsenal.
Tied at 1-1 with seven minutes remaining at the City Ground, Pep Guardiola’s men had Rayan Cherki to thank for a hard-fought triumph as he scored a beauty to settle matters.
Man City briefly led the league before Arsenal retook top spot after defeating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1.
With Arsenal facing Aston Villa 48 hours earlier, the table could look different for Man City by kick-off on Thursday – they may be five points behind top spot or even in third place.
Either way, taking maximum points at Sunderland will be key for City’s title bid. The visitors have won eight in a row against Sunderland, including a 3-0 win in December.
Despite this, Sunderland will not be easy opponents for Man City on home turf. They have five wins and four draws from nine home matches this term.
This strong home form leaves them as one of only two unbeaten Premier League teams at home, alongside Arsenal.
They drew with Leeds United on Sunday, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin cancelling out Simon Adingra’s opener.
The Black Cats currently sit seventh and remain in European contention as the campaign nears its midpoint.
However, one concern for Thursday’s hosts is their susceptibility to being caught out early in matches, having conceded five times in the opening 15 minutes this season.
Given that they now face a team that has scored five goals in that span and broken the deadlock in seven of their last eight games, Sunderland cannot afford a slow start.
