Manchester City vs Sunderland – News and Probable Lineups

On Sunday afternoon, Manchester City will aim for their fifth consecutive victory in the Premier League as they host Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium.

The Citizens recently secured a resounding five-goal win against Norwich City in the EFL Cup on Thursday, just a day after Sunderland achieved their first Europa League victory against AZ Alkmaar.

Match overview

Enzo Maresca is thriving as the manager of Manchester City, having guided his new squad to six straight victories across various competitions, amassing 15 goals while keeping a clean sheet in each of the last four matches.

A significantly altered Manchester City team dominated Championship side Norwich with a 5-0 victory at the Etihad on Thursday, with 17-year-old academy product Floyd Samba – son of former Premier League defender Christopher Samba – standing out by netting two goals on his “mind-blowing” full debut.

Prior to that matchup, Manchester City had clinched a contentious derby win over rivals Manchester United in their last league outing, although Maresca emphasized that the “unbelievable” display of his team playing with 10 men for over an hour should not be diminished by the VAR mistake concerning Erling Haaland’s winning goal.

Currently joint-top with defending champions Arsenal, Manchester City has encountered defeat only twice in their last 30 Premier League fixtures (W20 D8), and they will seek to win their first five matches of a league season for the fifth time this Sunday.

The Citizens will be optimistic about their chances against Sunderland, having never lost in any of their previous 14 Premier League home fixtures against the Black Cats (W12 D2), with their last defeat coming in January 1998 (1-0) at Maine Road.

Maresca could potentially become just the sixth manager to win his first five Premier League matches in charge of a club, joining Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea, 2009), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City, 2016), Craig Shakespeare (Leicester, 2017), Maurizio Sarri (Chelsea, 2018), and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Man United, 2018-19).

Sunderland returned to Europe for the first time in 53 years as they clinched a narrow 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in their inaugural Europa League match on a memorable evening at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday.

Enzo Le Fee redeemed himself for his penalty miss in a 2-0 league defeat to Arsenal last weekend by converting the match-winning goal from 12 yards in the second half, ensuring the club’s third straight 1-0 home victory of the current season across all competitions, having previously claimed similar wins over Fulham (PL) and Hull (EFL Cup).

Head coach Regis Le Bris acknowledged that his squad appeared “a bit worn out” following their efforts in the loss to Arsenal a few days prior. However, he expressed immense pride after the victory against AZ, as his team exhibited the “heart and togetherness” that he believes the home supporters “deserve,” five years after having watched their team play in League One.

Focus now shifts back to the Premier League, where Sunderland currently sits on four points from four matches (W1 D1 L2). They have not secured a victory away from home so far this season and will go three consecutive games without an away win for the first time since January if they fail to register points at Manchester City.

The Black Cats have yet to triumph at the Etihad, having lost there 3-0 in December, and they have struggled in their last 17 Premier League encounters against teams that started the day in the top two (D4 L13).

Team News

Phil Foden from Manchester City will miss the second of a three-match suspension this weekend due to his red card in the Manchester derby, but Maresca has indicated that Jeremy Doku will “probably” be available to face Sunderland after sitting out the last six matches with a calf issue.

Although Doku is unlikely to be in the starting lineup, Iliman Ndiaye and Antoine Semenyo may be given starts on the wings, as Maresca is expected to revert to a strong starting XI that also features players like Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez, Marc Guehi, and Ruben Dias.

Regardless of Samba’s impressive debut, Erling Haaland is anticipated to lead the attack. Out of the 25 different Premier League teams the Norwegian has faced, Sunderland remains the only side that has kept him from scoring, marring an otherwise perfect record against 24 teams.

For Sunderland, injured duo Habib Diarra (thigh) and Romaine Mundle (knee) continue to be unavailable, while Reinildo Mandava is serving a suspension due to his red card in the loss to Arsenal.

Omar Alderete will be evaluated after leaving the field with an apparent muscle issue midweek. Daniel Ballard is expected to step in at center-back, while summer acquisition Dayann Methalie could make his first Premier League start at left-back in Reinildo’s absence.

Forward Nilson Angulo will be hoping to work his way back into the team at the expense of Deadline Day signing Malick Fofana, and Brian Brobbey is set to take Wilson Isidor’s place up front.

Manchester City probable starting XI:

Dressing room; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Anderson, Fernandez; Ndiaye, Cherki, Semenyo; Haaland

Sunderland probable starting XI:

Roofs; World, Dance, Ballard, Methalie; Xhaka, Sadiq; Meunier, Le Fee, Angle; Brobbey

Though both teams approach this match following positive outcomes in midweek, a refreshed Manchester City side brimming with confidence will be seen as the strong favorites due to their flawless performance at the start of the league season and their historically superior home form against Sunderland.

With Maresca poised to reintegrate several key players into his lineup, it is anticipated that a focused Citizens team will penetrate the Black Cats’ defense and secure a straightforward win to maintain their perfect record.