Manchester City eager to extend winning run in Sunderland visit.

Sunderland vs. Manchester City begins at 20:00 [GMT] on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland [DLWDD] welcome Manchester City to the Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day. Recent meetings have firmly favored the visitors. Sunderland have lost their last three Premier League home games against Manchester City, a sharp reversal from an earlier run that saw the Black Cats win four consecutive league matches against the Citizens at the Stadium of Light. New Year’s Day has delivered mixed memories for both sides in this fixture. This will be their third Premier League meeting on January 1st, with Sunderland edging a 1-0 home win in 2012, while City responded three years later with a dramatic 3-2 victory at the Etihad. For Sunderland, there is at least encouragement in how they traditionally approach the calendar year. The Black Cats are unbeaten in their opening league match in each of the last seven years, recording three wins and four draws, a sequence stretching back to a Championship defeat against Barnsley in 2018. However, they face a daunting task against a City side that has lost just once in their last 30 away league games against promoted teams. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Brian Brobbey in attack is expected against the Sky Blues.

That 2012 defeat remains a rare blemish for City [WWWWW] on opening league fixtures of a calendar year. Pep Guardiola’s side have won their first league match in 18 of the last 19 years, including the last 13 in succession, with that Sunderland loss the only exception. City’s overall dominance is even more striking: since a 2-2 draw in April 2014, they have won seven straight Premier League meetings with Sunderland, their longest winning run against the club since a nine-game stretch between 2002 and 2009. January has also been a particularly fruitful month for City in front of goal. They have scored in each of their last 32 Premier League matches played in January, a top-flight record, netting 28 goals across their last eight such fixtures alone. That consistency has translated into results this season too, with City arriving on Wearside on the back of six straight league wins—their longest run within a single campaign since their title-winning surge at the end of 2023-24. Individual storylines add extra intrigue. Erling Haaland will make his first Premier League appearance at the Stadium of Light, having already scored at 22 of the other 23 venues he has visited in the competition. Meanwhile, Rayan Cherki arrives in superb creative form, having been directly involved in eight goals across his last nine league appearances. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Haaland in attack is expected against the Black Cats.