After losing their league openers last weekend, both Sunderland and Fulham will be desperate to secure maximum points at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
The Black Cats may still be purring following a remarkable return to the Premier League last season, which saw them qualify for Europe for the first time in over half a century.
Meanwhile, Fulham are still acclimatising to life under the stewardship of former Real Madrid boss Álvaro Arbeloa, who watched his side lose a thrilling West London derby to Chelsea on Monday.
Sunderland v Fulham Tips Summary
Best Bet - Draw @ 11/5
Alternative Bet - Under 2.5 goals @ 4/5
Bet Builder - Calvin Bassey to be booked, Gonzalo García to score, Over 7 corners @ 18/1
Sunderland v Fulham Prediction
Best Bet: Draw @ 11/5
Only a couple of points separated these two sides last season, so this one is expected to be a close encounter.
Sunderland enjoyed a lengthy unbeaten run at the Stadium of Light during last season’s opening exchanges, although their form at home did decline towards the end.
Nevertheless, they still managed to accrue a respectable 33 Premier League points in front of the Mackem hordes, who will once again offer vociferous vocal support this weekend.
Only the three relegated clubs and lowly Leeds United had a worse away record than Fulham last season, although the Cottagers did win on Wearside thanks to Raúl Jiménez’s quick-fire brace and a late strike from Alex Iwobi.
Alternative Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 4/5
Although Sunderland struggled to consistently find the net last term, a watertight backline enabled them to continue picking up results.
This is evidenced in the stats; Régis Le Bris’s men only scored 42 goals last season, but kept more clean sheets than 14 of their Premier League rivals.
It was a similar story for Fulham, who often lacked a clinical edge in the final third but could defend manfully when required. The Cottagers were particularly void of attacking inspiration on their travels, registering just 17 of their 47 goals at opposing grounds.
Sunderland v Fulham Bet Builder Tip
- Calvin Bassey to be booked
- Gonzalo García to score
- Over 7 corners
Pays at 18/1
Having committed 28 fouls across his 30 Premier League appearances last term, it was perhaps more surprising that Calvin Bassey only received five yellow cards.
The Nigeria central defender – who wore the captain’s armband on Monday night in Tom Cairney’s absence – was also cautioned against Chelsea.
Gonzalo García endeared himself to the Craven Cottage faithful with a debut goal, so the Spaniard will head to the northeast in confident spirits.
The 22-year-old struck eight goals during a brilliant breakthrough season at Real Madrid, before following Arbeloa to West London in the summer.
Both of last season’s meetings between these two teams produced double-digit corner counts, with 21 awarded overall. Fulham took 188 corners in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, an average of 4.94 per game, while Sunderland swung in 140, and at least eight on Sunday looks attainable.
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Key Match Stats
- Despite finishing in seventh position following their promotion from the Championship, Sunderland only netted 25 Premier League goals at home
- The Wearsiders were beaten at Ipswich last Saturday, thanks to Jack Clarke's 90th-minute winner
- Fulham commenced the season with a disappointing 3-2 defeat to local rivals Chelsea
- Only Bournemouth (18) and Leeds United (14) drew more games than Sunderland (12) last season
- Only three teams won fewer points on the road last season than Fulham, with only one team scoring fewer away goals than the Cottagers' 17
- Fulham have won four and drawn one of their last five games against Sunderland
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
