Sunderland 2026/27 Betting Preview

Sunderland were outstanding on their return to the Premier League last campaign but how will the Black Cats get on this time round?

Balancing the Europa League will bring its own challenges and while transfer activity remains slow, there will be plenty of optimism within the camp ahead of a new challenge. Nathan Joyes explores the best betting angles and whether they can pull off another top season.

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Team analysis

Last season was all about survival for Sunderland but by March they had already hit the 40 point mark under Regis Le Bris and went on to secure a Europa League spot in the process. It couldn't have been a better campaign for the Black Cats, and plenty of praise has been thrown at their French manager for what they achieved.

However, towards the end of the season there were moments and matches where Sunderland looked vulnerable. Aston Villa put four last them before Nottingham Forest hammered them 5-0 at the Stadium of Light. Draws vs Man United and Wolves followed, before back-to-back wins was enough to lift them into Europe and finish on a high.

The question is now how do Sunderland make sure their impressive home form continues in their second season? This is often when promoted sides struggle, and there were glimpses in the last few months that Sunderland can be more vulnerable than the table suggested.

There's no doubting that Le Bris is a very strong manager, who will hope that his squad can step up once more, but it's not often that simple in the Premier League - and one or two key injuries could see Sunderland pulled into a relegation scrap rather than maintaining their push for Europe this time round.

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Key players

As expected, when a team get promoted and overachieve, there's often at least one player that is headhunted. In this case, it was Eliezer Mayenda who has left Sunderland to link up with Rennes for around £18m. The 21-year-old played 20 Premier League matches last campaign, scoring two goals, but couldn't replicate his Championship form and he has therefore moved on.

Sunderland, however, have not lost any other key members of the squad. The Black Cats heavily invested upon returning to the Premier League and so far, they have been able to keep that crop of players together.

Chelsea made a move for Granit Xhaka, arguably Sunderland's best signing last summer, but the Swiss international decided to stay loyal to the club that brought him back to England. Although Sunderland have yet to make a signing this window, keeping hold of Xhaka could well be their best business this time round as well.

Thomas Meunier has joined from Lille on a free transfer, but fans will expect more than a 34-year-old defender now competing in Europe. If they don't get a 2-3 more bodies in, they could struggle to compete across all fronts heading into the new campaign.

Season prediction

The question with Sunderland is simple. Will they be able to replicate or sustain their form from last season this time round? We saw with Nottingham Forest last campaign how they struggled to balance both the Premier League and Europa League, and the impact it can have on a team that is not used to the midweek flights across Europe to face different opponents.

When looking at the betting outright markets, they clearly have Sunderland down to also struggle. Priced at 2/11 to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table, no one expects Sunderland to step it up a notch - and it's hard to argue with that.

Sunderland are fourth favourites at 3/1 to be relegated - and that might just be the value pick here. All three promoted sides are odds-on to be relegated back to the Championship, but either Ipswich or Coventry will fancy their chances of staying up, and at 4/6, it's not a price I'd advise to back.

The Black Cats massively overachieved last season, and yet they have not been able to improve that squad. While they are more likely to avoid the drop compared to the new boys in this league, 3/1 is a huge price for them to still be in the conversation in the last few months of the season - and the pressure of Europe could well take its toll.

Sunderland will struggle this season, and 3/1 looks a fair price for them to be hovering in and around the relegation zone.