After eight years away, Sunderland are back in the big time and will welcome West Ham United to the Stadium of Light for their opening fixture of the 2025-26 season on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Cats and the Hammers square off for the first time since April 2017 when Fabio Borini netted a 90th-minute equaliser for the former in a 2-2 top-flight draw on Wearside.
Match preview
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris on August 10, 2025
Sunderland have been riding a wave of jubilation since winning the Championship playoff final with a dramatic 95th-minute winner against Sheffield United in May, and while supporters are understandably excited heading into the new season, there is also a degree of uncertainty following a significant summer of change.
Indeed, head coach Regis Le Bris has overseen the arrival of 11 new signings thus far and the Frenchman has no regrets over the club’s £130m outlay, as he believes that his squad needed a “reset” ahead of a “new chapter and a new challenge” in the Premier League.
Despite Sunderland winning just two of their nine friendly fixtures (D2 L5) over a seven-week pre-season period, most recently losing 3-0 at home to Spanish outfit Rayo Vallecano last weekend, Le Bris is confident that his team is “ready” for top-flight action and feels that his player’s “mindset had shifted” ahead of their opening clash with West Ham.
Sunderland’s record on the opening weekend of a new Premier League season leave a lot to be desired, as they have failed to win any of their last seven such matches (D4 L3), most recently losing 2-1 to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in 2016-17.
Home form will be crucial for the Black Cats if they wish to avoid relegation this season and they will not want to pick up from where they left off last season, as they lost each of their last three home matches in the Championship (excluding the playoffs); not since September 2017 have they lost four league games in a row at the Stadium of Light.
West Ham United manager Graham Potter on May 18, 2025
West Ham are preparing for their 14th successive season in the Premier League and their first full campaign under the tutelage of Graham Potter, who replaced Julen Lopetegui in January and steered the Hammers away from the relegation picture last season, albeit in unconvincing fashion.
Indeed, Potter is yet to set the world alight at the London Stadium after winning just five of his 18 Premier League matches to secure a 14th-placed finish for the Hammers. The 50-year-old has since admitted that his West Ham side are still a “work in progress” heading into the new season.
West Ham have bid farewell to Mohammed Kudus, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio this summer and have since strengthened their squad with the signings of El Hadji Malick Diouf, Kyle Walker-Peters, Callum Wilson and Mads Hermansen, while Jean Clair-Todibo has made his loan move permanent.
More fresh faces are expected to be added to a Hammers squad that enjoyed a largely positive pre-season campaign, winning four of their five friendly fixtures including two against fellow Premier League teams Everton (2-1) and Bournemouth (2-0), before beating French side Lille on penalties last weekend following a 1-1 draw.
West Ham head into Saturday's contest having lost their opening game of a Premier League season more times than any other team (16) in the division’s history and have also conceded more goals (50) on matchday one than anyone else, but there is reason for the Hammers to be optimistic of success against Sunderland, as they are unbeaten in each of their last eight league meetings with the Black Cats (W4 D4).
Sunderland pre-season form:
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West Ham United pre-season form:
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Team News
Sunderland's Granit Xhaka pictured on August 9, 2025
Sunderland will be without Luke O'Nien, Aji Alese (both shoulder), Leo Hjelde (Achilles), Dennis Cirkin (wrist) and Romaine Mundle (thigh) due to injury, the latter of whom is set to miss the first two months of the season.
Le Bris has confirmed that he will make a late call on whether to include the club’s latest signing Omar Alderete and fellow new recruits Arthur Masuaku and Marc Guiu in his matchday squad. Alderete has experienced a disrupted pre-season due to injury, while Masuaku and Guiu are still building up their fitness.
However, as many as seven new signings could be named in the Black Cats’ starting lineup, including new club captain Granit Xhaka, who could be joined in midfield by club-record signing Habib Diarra and either Noah Sadiki or Enzo Le Fee, while Simon Adingra and Chemsdine Talbi are the most likely duo to provide support in attack for Eliezer Mayenda.
As for West Ham, Crysencio Summerville is “getting really close” to returning from a long-term hamstring injury, but he will not be involved this weekend, while George Earthy is sidelined with ankle injury picked up in training last month.
Potter could be tempted to hand Hermansen his Hammers debut between the sticks, but he may decide to stick with Alphonse Areola for the time being, while Diouf has impressed in pre-season and is expected to start at left wing-back as Aaron Wan-Bissaka keeps out Walker-Peters on the opposite flank.
Captain Jarrod Bowen is almost guaranteed to start in attack; the 28-year-old is bidding to become the first West Ham player since Jesse Lingard to score in five Premier League matches in a row after netting in each of his last four at the end of last season.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Roefs; Hume, Seelt, Balland, Reinaldo; Sadiki, Xhaka, Diarra; Talbi, Mayenda, Adingra
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Diouf; Bowen, Paqueta; Fullkrug
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We say: Sunderland 1-0 West Ham United
Taking into account the summer of change for both clubs, Sunderland’s fairly uninspiring pre-season form and West Ham’s poor opening-day record, a somewhat cagey and closely-contested battle could be in store this weekend.
However, the Stadium of Light is set to be rocking and that should provide a huge boost for Sunderland. With that in mind, we think that an upset could be on the cards early doors, with Le Bris to guide the Black Cats to a slender victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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