Match Preview
Fulham vrs Sunderland
Premiership Match Day 12 24/25 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 22nd November 2025 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Darren England (Barnsley)
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Fulham welcome newly promoted Sunderland to Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams meet for the first time since February 2023 when Marco Silva’s men claimed a 3-2 away victory in an FA Cup fifth-round replay.
Fulham ended a four-game losing run in the Premier League when they eased to a 3-0 home victory over basement club Wolves at the beginning of November, but they were unable to register back-to-back wins as they suffered a 2-0 away defeat to Everton before the international break.
The Cottagers are one of only four Premier League teams who are yet to win away from home this season, with their latest loss at Everton representing their fifth defeat on the road and sixth in total in the top flight, leaving them languishing in 15th place and just one point above the relegation zone.
Despite some reports claiming that Fulham’s hierarchy have been weighing up Marco Silva's future following his team's recent poor form, it is understood that the Cottagers are in fact keen to hold talks with the Portuguese - the third current longest-serving manager in the Premier League - over a new contract, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the season.
Fulham will welcome this weekend’s return to Craven Cottage where they have earned 91% of their Premier League points (10/11) - the highest home ratio of any team in the division this season - and are also unbeaten in their last 10 PL games against newly-promoted opponents (W5 D5), winning their last three in a row.
However, the Cottagers have suffered defeat in their last two Premier League home matches against Sunderland, with Saturday’s clash representing the first top-flight encounter between the two teams since a 4-1 victory for the Black Cats in January 2014.
Sunderland have accumulated 19 points in 11 Premier League matches this season (W5 D4 L2) which represents their best return at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1999-00 (23), as well as the best tally by any newly-promoted team since 2008-09, when Hull City collected 20 points in their first 11 games.
The Black Cats extended their unbeaten league run to four matches prior to the international break courtesy of a dramatic 94th-minute equaliser from summer signing Brian Brobbey, who scored his first goal for the club to salvage a point in a 2-2 home draw with leaders Arsenal.
Only Brighton (76%) have scored a higher percentage of their Premier League goals this season in the second half of matches than Sunderland (71% - 10/14). In contrast, this weekend’s opponents Fulham have conceded 69% of their goals in the division after half time (11/16) - the third-most of any team.
Few would have envisaged Sunderland sitting fourth in the Premier League table at the end of November, but Regis Le Bris’s men are there on merit and victory on Saturday would see them move level on points with second-placed Manchester City before they face the Black Cats’ rivals Newcastle a few hours later.
After beating Chelsea 2-1 in October, Sunderland are now looking to win consecutive PL away games in London within the same season for the first time since March 2001. They will also endeavour to avoid losing back-to-back matches against Fulham for the first time since a run of three between 2002 and 2006, after losing their last league game against the Cottagers in the Championship (2-1) in April 2018.
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Sunderland lost their last league game against Fulham, a 2-1 loss at Craven Cottage in the Championship in April 2018. They’ve not lost consecutive league meetings with the Cottagers since a run of three between 2002 and 2006.
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Fulham have lost their last two Premier League home games against Sunderland, with this the first top-flight meeting between the sides since a 4-1 win for the Black Cats in January 2014.
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Fulham are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League games against newly promoted opponents (W5 D5), winning their last three in a row – their longest winning run over promoted clubs in the division since October 2011 (4 in row).
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Fulham have earned 91% of their points in the Premier League this season at Craven Cottage (10/11), the highest home ratio of any side in the competition this term. The Cottagers have won three of their last four home league matches (L1), as many as their previous 13 beforehand (W3 D5 L5).
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Fulham have had 121 shots in their 11 Premier League games this season – an average of exactly 11 per game. This is their lowest average ever in a campaign in the competition.
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Sunderland won their last away Premier League game against a London club 2-1 at Chelsea in October, but the Black Cats haven’t won back-to-back away games in the capital within a single season in the competition since March 2001.
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Sunderland have 19 points in 11 Premier League games this season (W5 D4 L2), their best tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1999-00 (23), and best by any newly promoted side since 2008-09, when Hull City had 20 in their first 11 games. A win here would make it the best start after 12 games by a promoted side in the competition (22 pts) since Wigan Athletic in 2005-06 (25).
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Sunderland’s open play expected goals tally of 5.1 is the lowest of any side in the Premier League this season. Indeed, 47% of the Black Cats’ non-penalty xG in the competition this term has come from set plays (4.5/9.7), the highest ratio of any side.
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Only Brighton (76%) have scored a higher percentage of their Premier League goals this season in second halves than Sunderland (71% - 10/14), while conversely, Fulham have conceded 69% of their goals in the competition this term after half-time (11/16), the third-most of any side.
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Only Marcos Senesi (19) and Bruno Guimarães (18) have made more passes that have broken the opponent’s defensive line in the Premier League this season than Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka (15). The Swiss midfielder has created five chances from line-breaking passes in the competition in 2025-26, with only Bruno Fernandes (7) creating more.
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Source Oliver Thomas at SportsMole/BBCSports