Match Preview
Sunderland v Fulham
Premier League Match Day 02 26/27 at Stadium of Light
Sunday 30th August 2026 KO: 14:00
Referee:
Michael Salisbury (Lancashire)
Live on Sky Sports+
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Fulham visit Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday with both teams desperate for their first Premier League points of the season
the Cottagers are hoping to build on their cup win last time out while The Black Cats are looking to put their frustrating opening day defeat firmly in the past.
Fulham are still getting to grips with the demands of new manager Alvaro Arbeloa, but there have been positive signs from the 43-year-old's start.
The Cottagers may have lost 3-2 to Chelsea during their Premier League opener, but they pushed their derby rivals all the way, even if they could not quite find an equaliser.
Result aside, Spanish striker Gonzalo Garcia - who was signed from Real Madrid for £34m earlier this month - scored against the #ff0000s to mark his competitive debut in style.
To prove it was not a one-off, the 22-year-old followed up with another goal during Fulham's 3-0 EFL Cup victory over AFC Wimbledon on Thursday, coming off the bench to seal the win in second-half stoppage time.
That triumph will bolster the confidence within Arbeloa's squad, considering they have scored five goals across their first two matches of the 2026-27 campaign, enough to create a feeling of optimism before heading to the Stadium of Light.
Adding to that is the fact the Cottagers have won four of their past five meetings with Sunderland, drawing the other, an unbeaten stretch that goes back to December 2017 and includes a Premier League double last term.
Regis Le Bris's Sunderland enjoyed an exceptional first campaign back in the top flight, finishing seventh and qualifying for the Europa League, but it remains to be seen whether they can repeat the feat this time around considering the level of competition.
The Black Cats kicked off their 2026-27 by losing 2-1 against Ipswich Town last Saturday, a game that saw them succumb to a 90th-minute dagger from Jack Clarke.
Le Bris's side also conceded first at the weekend, and though Nilson Angulo struck back before half time, the fact the Wearsiders were unable to hold out against a promoted opponent will be concerning to fans.
To make matters worse, Sunderland have now kept just one clean sheet from their seven most recent competitive matches, a defensive record that will need to improve if the club are to climb the table this term.
Supporters will also be wary about the Black Cats' attacking output, which has seen the team score six goals while conceding seven across their last four outings.
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Fulham have won their last three league games against Sunderland, beating them in the Championship in 2018 and completing the double over them last season. They’ve never won four in a row against the Black Cats.
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Sunderland haven’t won any of their last six Premier League home games against Fulham (D3 L3) since a 1-0 win in January 2009.
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Fulham were beaten 3-2 by Chelsea on the opening matchday of the season, but haven’t lost their opening two Premier League fixtures since 2020-21 as a newly promoted side; they haven’t lost their first two matches of a top-flight campaign as a non-newly promoted team since 1967-68, when relegated under Viv Buckingham/Sir Bobby Robson.
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Fulham have won the fewest away points of any ever-present team in the Premier League in 2026 (7 – W1 D4 L5), while they have won their opening away match in just two of their last nine league campaigns (D3 L4): vs Huddersfield in the Championship in 2021-22 and vs Everton in 2023-24.
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Fulham covered the most distance (121km) of any team on MD1 of the 2026-27 Premier League, while only opponents for this game Sunderland (40), Bournemouth (40) and Arsenal (38) made more runs ahead of the ball than the Cottagers (36) on the opening weekend.
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Gonzalo García scored on his Premier League debut against Chelsea on MD1 and could become the first player to net on both of their first two appearances in the competition for Fulham since Pavel Pogrebnyak in February 2012.
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Sunderland lost 2-1 on MD1 to Ipswich Town. They’ve lost their opening two games in three previous Premier League seasons, going on to be relegated in 20th place in two of those (2005-06 and 2016-17) and finishing 17th in the other (2015-16).
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Sunderland had 62% possession on MD1 against Ipswich, their highest figure in the league since their return to the Premier League last season – in that period, the Black Cats have lost 50% of games when having more than 50% possession (7/14) compared to 24% when having less than half of the ball (6/25).
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Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris has won only one of his eight Premier League games against Spanish managers (D4 L3), beating Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth in November 2025. That is the only example of a French manager beating a Spanish manager in the competition since the 2022-23 campaign (P12 D4 L7).
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Nilson Angulo scored Sunderland’s goal on MD1 against Ipswich Town – three Sunderland players have scored on MD1 and MD2 in a Premier League season: Niall Quinn in 2000-01, Michael Chopra in 2007-08 and Darren Bent in 2009-10.
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Source Anthony Nolan at SportsMole/BBCSports