Sunderland and West Ham United will aim to kick-start the 2025/26 Premier League season when they face off at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The long wait is over, and the 2025/26 Premier League season begins this week after a ten-week break for most clubs. The new campaign kicks off with Friday’s game between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield. The action on Saturday will start when Aston Villa and Newcastle United face off at Villa Park before it continues with three simultaneous fixtures, including Sunderland vs West Ham United at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland returned to the Premier League after eight seasons in the wilderness, winning the promotion playoffs by beating Sheffield United. The Black Cats have been busy in the summer transfer window, signing nearly a dozen players, including new club captain Granit Xhaka, while Jobe Bellingham has been the most notable departure.
Meanwhile, Sunderland had a busy pre-season campaign, participating in nine matches, which yielded only two wins and five defeats (D2). On the other hand, West Ham United took part in the Premier League Summer Series, finishing second behind Manchester United.
The East London outfit played only five pre-season games, winning five outings and losing only once. Meanwhile, West Ham United’s summer business may not inspire much confidence within the fanbase, as they have not signed many players who raise the team’s ceiling. They remain active in the market, but new arrivals will not come before the season opener.
The most recent Premier League clash between Sunderland and West Ham United at the Stadium of Light saw the Black Cats twice come from a goal down to clinch a 2-2 draw. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the first meeting between the two sides in over eight years.
Team News & Tactics
Sunderland
Regis Le Bris has many fitness concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s season-opening Premier League fixture. The Sunderland manager may be without as many as eight first-team players vs West Ham United on Saturday.
Summer arrivals Arthur Masuaku, Omar Alderete, and Marc Guiu face late fitness tests to determine their availability. However, Luke O’Nien (shoulder), Leo Hjelde (achilles), Dennis Cirkin (wrist), Aji Alese (shoulder), and Romaine Mundle (thigh) remain on the sidelines.
Robin Roefs will likely take his spot between the sticks, with Sunderland lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs West Ham United on Saturday. The backline should feature Trai Hume, Jenson Seelt, Daniel Ballard, and Reinildo Mandava.
As for the midfield unit, newly appointed club captain Granit Xhaka should line up alongside Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra in the middle of the park. Finally, Eliezer Mayenda will lead the line for Sunderland against West Ham, with Simon Adingra and Chemsdine Talbi completing the numbers in the offensive trifecta.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Roefs; Hume, Seelt, Ballard, Reinildo; Sadiki, Xhaka, Diarra; Talbi, Mayenda, Adingra
West Ham United
Unlike his counterpart in the Sunderland dugout, Graham Potter barely has any issues troubling him ahead of the trip to the Stadium of Light. The Sunderland manager will be without only two first-team players on Sunday.
Crysencio Summerville is the most notable absentee, with the Dutch attacker recovering from a hamstring injury. George Earthy is the only other player on the sidelines after he “sustained an injury early in pre-season.”
Alphonse Areola should get the nod over Mads Hermansen, with West Ham United lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Sunderland on Saturday. The central defensive unit will likely feature Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, and Nayef Aguerd. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and summer arrival El Hadji Malick Diouf will start as the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will support the three centre-backs and provide width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse should pair up in the middle of the park. Finally, Niclas Fullkrug will spearhead the West Ham attack against Sunderland, with Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta being the supporting cast.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Areola; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Diouf; Bowen, Paqueta; Fullkrug
Key Stats
Sunderland are winless in their last eight league games vs West Ham United (D4 L4), most recently playing a 2-2 draw in April 2017. The Hammers have lost only one of their last 17 Premier League games against promoted sides (W13 D3), going down 3-1 at Leicester City in December last season.
West Ham United will start a Premier League campaign against a promoted side for the fourth time, with the East London outfit winning the previous three clashes (vs Barnsley in 1997/98, Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2009/10 and Cardiff City in 2013/14). The Hammers have lost their opening match of a Premier League season more times than any other side (16), and they have also conceded more goals in Gameweek 1 than anyone else (50).
As a Premier League side, Sunderland’s seven most recent season-opening fixtures have not ended in a win (D4 L3).
Sunderland lost three home league games to close out the 2024/25 EFL Championship season (excluding playoffs), all by a 1-0 scoreline. They most recently lost four successive league matches at the Stadium of Light in September 2017, while they last faced four consecutive home league defeats without scoring in November 1976. On the other hand, West Ham won their two Premier League away games to end the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, the only time they won consecutively on the road last term.
Regis Le Bris will be the ninth Frenchman to manage a club in the Premier League. Only two of the previous eight have won their first match in the competition (D3 L3, excluding joint-tenures) – Arsene Wenger with Arsenal in October 1996 (2-0 vs Blackburn Rovers) and Alain Perrin with Portsmouth in April 2005 (4-2 vs Charlton Athletic).
Player to Watch
Jarrod Bowen
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While Granit Xhaka, Simon Adingra, and Niclas Fullkrug were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Jarrod Bowen as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Sunderland and West Ham United at the Stadium of Light.
The English international scored in his last four Premier League appearances in 2024/25, and he was in impressive form during West Ham’s pre-season campaign. The most recent West Ham player to score in five successive Premier League matches was Jesse Lingard in April 2021. With Mohammed Kudus no longer at the club, Graham Potter will depend on Bowen to produce the goods in the final third.
Prediction
Sunderland 1-1 West Ham United
While Sunderland’s summer business may inspire confidence within the fanbase ahead of a daunting Premier League challenge in the 2025/26 season, the Black Cats have not been impressive heading into the campaign. West Ham’s fortunes have been the polar opposite, as the Hammers have not been as active as they would have liked, but they were excellent in most pre-season games.
A buoyant Sunderland side will take the game to West Ham, and the hosts may strike first blood. However, Jarrod Bowen should draw the away side level, with the match likely ending all square. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Sunderland and West Ham at the Stadium of Light.