Tottenham are in the relegation zone right now.
Tottenham Hotspur are set to visit Sunderland in what many Lilywhites supporters would hope to be the start of a new era at N17. But as fans hope with their fingers and toes crossed, there is no easing into this for Roberto De Zerbi.
The former Brighton man returned to English shores along the international hiatus as he took over the reins at Spurs from Igor Tudor following the Lilywhites’ failure to reap points under the Croat. And De Zerbi would surely have taken his notes for things to work on in the training before taking charge of his first game, donning the Spurs crest on his blazer.
His time at Tottenham begins with a sense of urgency and pressure to bring out some results (and avoid relegation). And he takes his side on a trip to the Stadium of Light, a club that has made a habit of unsettling bigger names in the ongoing season.
But for Tottenham it is not about looking at that record but instead pushing to do things that work immediately, especially given that West Ham won their game already this week, meaning that the Lilywhites will kick off their game against Sunderland, placed in the relegation zone.
Sunderland vs Tottenham Match Info
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: Kickoff at 14:00 HRS BST
Location: Stadium of Light
Team News
Tottenham suffered a massive blow earlier this week when a returning Mohammed Kudus picked up another knock which is bound to rule him out of the season. His presence can end up being the difference between if Spurs get relegated or if they end up surviving.
Alongside the Kudus situation, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Yves Bissouma will continue to serve on the sidelines given their long-term injuries. Maddison did have a positive gym workout, and he should be gunning to eye a return to the pitch before the season draws curtains.
There are also doubts around whether either of Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr and Guglielmo Vicario will be available, leaving De Zerbi with a thin and unbalanced squad to work with.
For the hosts, the duo of Dan Ballard and Robin Roefs should face a late fitness test. But other than that, Bertrand Traoré, Nilson Angulo, Romaine Mundle and Jocelin Ta Bi are not expected to be available for the game and are not expected to take the field until at least the final weeks of the season.
Predicted Lineups
Sunderland: Ellborg; Geertruida, O’Nien, Alderete, Hume; Xhaka, Sadiki; Rigg, Diarra, Talbi, Brobbey
Tottenham: Kinsky; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Bergvall; Kolo Muani, Simons, Tel; Solanke
Prediction
While there is a new head coach coming at Tottenham, he is one of the best tactically elegant managers in Europe, and we should see a bit of that in the game already. This is a game that Tottenham need to win given the pressure on the Lilywhites after West Ham won theirs in the ongoing gameweek. And we at TTLB feel Spurs do have enough to beat Sunderland in their own den if we are to see even a glimpse of De Zerbi’s ideas on the pitch.
Ideally it should be an open game, given there are bound to be mistakes here and there from Tottenham’s first line, given how they should be forced into passing the first phase build-up and invite press under De Zerbi.
Sunderland 2 – 3 Tottenham