Sunderland vs Manchester City Tips & Preview - Citizens to inflict first defeat at Stadium of Light

By Tolu Shotade

30 Dec 2025

Tolu Shotade 30 Dec 2025

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Sunderland unbeaten at home but vulnerable recently.
Manchester City on an eight-game winning streak.
City have dominated past encounters with Sunderland.

Sunderland vs Manchester City

Manchester City are looking to maintain the pressure on the leaders when they travel to Sunderland for their first English Premier League fixture of 2026.

The hosts often do their best work at home, but have looked a little susceptible in the last few matches. The Citizens have the quality to take advantage and are expected to claim the upper hand here.

Sunderland News

It has been a solid return to the Premier League for Sunderland, who are challenging in the top half of the table. They head into this clash unbeaten in eight of their last 10 matches, although only three of those fixtures have been wins.

At the heart of Sunderland's solid campaign is an impressive home record as they are yet to lose a Premier League match at the Stadium of Light. However, Regis Le Bris' team have not been too convincing lately and were given a stern test in their 1-1 draw with Leeds United last weekend.

Sunderland's home record has seen them score in every single match in front of their fans this season. However, they are without a clean sheet in three of their last four matches at the Stadium of Light, with two of those fixtures producing over 2.5 goals.

Manchester City News

Manchester City are one of the most in-form teams in the league at the moment and head into this clash with eight consecutive wins. Pep Guardiola's team are second in the table, two points behind Arsenal, and will be keen to crank up the pressure on the leaders.

The Citizens have also impressed on their recent travels. Winning four of their last five away matches. They claimed a 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest last time out in the Premier League, with Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki on target.

Manchester City are among the leading scorers in the league this season and are led by Erling Haaland, who has 19 goals so far. However, they are without a clean sheet in six of their last seven matches across all competitions, while the last six fixtures on this run have produced over 2.5 goals.

Head to Head

Manchester City have a solid record in this fixture, with 10 wins and one draw in the last 12 matches, while Sunderland have been victorious just once. The Citizens claimed a 3-0 home victory in the reverse fixture earlier in December.

Verdict

Sunderland v Man City

Sunderland struggled for long periods against Leeds United and could be in for a difficult time when Manchester City come visiting. The Citizens have earned a win and over 2.5 goals in seven of their last eight matches and could be set for a repeat here.

Both teams have shown some defensive vulnerability lately and could be backed to score on Thursday. With Manchester City scoring in both halves in three of their last four matches, a similar pattern could be on the cards.

Yes

Both Teams to Score

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Manchester City

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Manchester City

To Score In Both Halves

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