Sunderland vs Fulham Preview: Stadium of Light Clash with European Hopes on the Line

Sunderland welcome Fulham to the Stadium of Light on Sunday, 22nd February, with just two points separating the two sides in the Premier League table.

Sunderland sit four points off seventh-placed Brentford and trail sixth-placed Liverpool, with a win potentially lifting them as high as eighth depending on other results.

Fulham are currently 11th in the standings, six points behind Brentford in seventh and eight behind Liverpool in sixth. They are also seven points clear of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, making it highly unlikely they will be dragged into a relegation battle this season.

Head-to-Head

Their last meeting came in November, when Fulham secured a narrow 1–0 victory thanks to Raúl Jiménez’s 84th-minute winner.

Sunderland have managed just two wins in their last 10 league matches this season, while Fulham have recorded four wins in their last 10 outings.

However, Sunderland have been a completely different side at home. They have lost only one league game at the Stadium of Light all season a record matched only by Arsenal and Manchester City.

They currently rank among the top 10 teams across Europe’s top five leagues for fewest home defeats, alongside clubs such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Lens and Atlético Madrid.

By contrast, Fulham have won just three of their 12 Premier League away matches this season. They sit 15th in the away form table ahead of Sunderland, Wolves, Brighton, Leeds and Burnley.

Team News

Bertrand Traoré is a doubt for Sunderland, while Reinildo Mandava and Omar Alderete are ruled out. However, Granit Xhaka is expected to return after being sidelined since the match against Crystal Palace in January.

For Fulham, Tom Cairney is a doubt, while Samuel Chukwueze and Saša Lukić who last featured in January against Leeds are set to miss out.

Players to Watch

For Fulham, Harry Wilson is a key figure. He leads the team in goals and assists, ranks second for expected goals, leads in expected assists and has created the most big chances for the club this season.

Raúl Jiménez is another to watch. He sits second in Fulham’s scoring charts and is also among the leaders for goal involvements. Alex Iwobi has provided creativity with the most key passes in the squad, while Calvin Bassey has been a consistent performer defensively.

For Sunderland, Brian Brobbey leads the team in league goals. However, Enzo Le Fée has arguably been their standout performer, ranking highly for goals and assists while recording seven goal involvements the most in the squad. He is third for big chances created (four), leads the team for key passes per game and ranks second for tackles per game (2.4).

Granit Xhaka has also been influential since returning to the Premier League from Bayer Leverkusen. He leads Sunderland in big chances created and accurate passes, which has contributed to his strong assist tally.

Ballard has been crucial at both ends of the pitch. He ranks second in shots per game, leads the team in big chances missed, sits second for total shots and is third for accurate passes per match.