Winless Wolves back in search for maiden victory as Sunderland trip looms.
Sunderland vs. Wolves kicks off at 15:00 [GMT+1] on Saturday, October 18, at the Stadium of Light.
Newly promoted Sunderland will welcome Wolves to the Stadium of Light for their first league meeting since May 2018, when the Black Cats cruised to a 3–0 victory in the Championship. Saturday’s clash will also be their first Premier League clash since a goalless drawback in April 2012—a reminder of how long both sides have taken to rebuild their top-flight presence. Surprisingly, despite a 2-0 loss to Manchester United just before the international break, Sunderland [WDDWL] are 9th. Luckily, with intentions to climb further up the table, the Black Cats can draw inspiration from their formidable form on home turf. Sunderland have collected seven points from their opening three Premier League matches at the Stadium of Light (W2 D1). A win here would take them to 10 or more home points from their first four top-flight fixtures of a season for the first time since 1968–69. However, one noticeable trend is Sunderland’s tendency to start games slowly. Only one of their seven league goals this season has come in the first half—the lowest first-half scoring ratio (14%) in the division. Their shot and expected goals data back that up, with 27 shots and 2.4 xG before half-time compared to 43 shots and 3.9 xG after the break. They are clearly a side that grows stronger as matches progress. Manager Régis Le Bris will be hoping that resilience will count for something when his side faces bottom-placed Wolves. Wilson Isidor is expected at the attacking end of the club’s 3—4—2—1 formation. Reinildo remains suspended, having picked up a red card in the game against Aston Villa.
Historically, Wolves [LLLDD], who remain the only winless side this season [0W, 2D, 5L], have struggled in this fixture, especially away from home. They’ve managed just one win in their last ten league trips to Sunderland (D3 L6), with that solitary success coming in May 2011 under Mick McCarthy. Since then, Wearside has often proved an unforgiving venue for the West Midlands club. The current Wolves side will be looking to change that narrative, but their recent form suggests that closing out matches remains a concern. Wolves have scored first in each of their last three Premier League games but failed to win any of them (D2 L1). Only on eight occasions in Premier League history has a team opened the scoring in four or more consecutive games without winning, most recently Tottenham Hotspur across five games in late 2023. It’s an unwanted record Vítor Pereira would be keen to avoid. A 4—3—3 formation with Jørgen Strand Larsen, Hwang Hee-chan and Jhon Arias in attack is expected.