Sunderland will return to Premier League action with a home game against Fulham next weekend.
Sunderland remain just four points adrift of the Premier League’s top seven despite winning just one of their last four games.
The Black Cats bounced back from a 3-1 defeat at struggling West Ham United with an impressive display in a 3-0 win against Burnley as a Habib Diarra brace and a stunning strike from Chemsdine Talbi helped Regis Le Bris’ side to a comfortable win at the Stadium of Light.
However, Sunderland have emerged without a point from a visit to Premier League leaders and title favourites Arsenal and the midweek home clash with Liverpool as Virgil van Dijk goal guided the Reds to all three points from their visit to Wearside.
Those results have left Sunderland sitting in eleventh place in the table as their league campaign made way for Sunday’s FA Cup fourth round tie at Championship strugglers Oxford United. A return to Premier League action comes next weekend as the Black Cats take on Fulham at the Stadium of Light and Le Bris and his players know a win against the Cottagers could lift them to within a point of the European places if results elsewhere fall in their favour.
But where are Sunderland predicted to finish in this season’s Premier League? We take a look at a predicted final table from the stats experts at Opta.
Opta’s latest predicted final Premier League table
1st: Arsenal - 81.87 points
2nd: Manchester City - 74.60 points
3rd: Aston Villa - 71.05 points
4th: Liverpool - 62.93 points
5th: Chelsea - 62.76 points
6th: Manchester United - 62.35 points
7th: Brentford - 58.20 points
8th: Bournemouth - 54.17 points
9th: Newcastle United - 53.55 points
10th: Everton - 51.83 points
11th: Sunderland - 49.61 points
12th: Fulham - 49.31 points
13th: Brighton and Hove Albion - 47.39 points
14th: Crystal Palace - 46.70 points
15th: Leeds United - 44.81 points
16th: Tottenham Hotspur - 44.55 points
17th: Nottingham Forest - 40.40 points
18th: West Ham United - 36.08 points
19th: Burnley - 28.46 points
20th: Wolverhampton Wanderers - 19.67 points
What did Regis Le Bris say about Sunderland’s defeat against Liverpool?
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Brisplaceholder image
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris | Chris Fryatt
Speaking after the midweek defeat against Liverpool, the Black Cats boss said: “We struggled a bit in the first half to find the right distance against smart, agile players comfortable on the ball. I think we wasted a bit of energy at that time. We tried to be competitive, but the second half was better. We were more located on the pitch, and we had our opportunities, but small margins define this kind of game.
"In the final third they were good - the team spirit was excellent, once again. It is a question of details, but details make the difference. When you chase the game, it is not the easiest pitch because you have to be clean, recomposed with the ball and those small margins in the final third you can change the dynamic of the game. Now, we want to win points and the motivation of the squad is excellent. We have to be resilient. It is part of our journey."
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