Thursday 1st January 2026
Sunderland v Manchester City – Premier League
Stadium of Light Kick-Off: 20:00
Tickets & Match Coverage
Tickets: Tickets are sold out.
TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via Sky Sports.
Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)
Don’t forget to follow the
blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.sbnation.com!
The build-up…
It’s only been 26 days since we last took on Pep’s Citeh, and I’ve had a bone to pick with anyone who says we were outclassed. We were eventually, but I’d have loved to have seen that game without them getting that deflection.
The Lads were organised and threatened their goal a few times, while putting a little fear into them as we pressed them periodically in their own half. In my view, we were great until the deflection set them on their way, and after that, they did City things.
But on a higher level, the way we’re starting 2026 is a sign of just how ridiculously good it’s been in 2025 for a Sunderland fan. We began last year with a win at home against Sheffield United, with the hope that we could catch the top two in the Championship, with a slight realization that it wasn’t likely. Then it would be a case of getting promoted anyway we could, and then there was the thought of how much we might struggle in the top flight.
Twelve months on were taking on one of the best sides in Europe with confidence that we could take something from the game, from a position of challenging for Champions League qualification at the halfway point in the season. It’s the type of story that wouldn’t have made Roy Of The Rovers because it would be too far-fetched.
Over the years, we’ve had some big wins over City at home, but we’ve lost the last four against them on home soil and haven’t beaten them at the Stadium of Light since November 2013, when Phil Bardsley scored our winner. This was our fourth home win on the bounce against them, so it’s maybe about time we started another run like that.
The betting…
The bookies have the Lads at 24/5 to win the game, while City are priced at 8/15, and the draw is 16/5.
Head to head… in Sunderland
(All competitions)
- Sunderland wins: 38
- Draws: 12
- Manchester City wins: 22
- Sunderland goals: 119
- Manchester City goals: 102
Last time we met… at the Stadium of Light
Sunday 5th March 2017
Premier League
Sunderland 0-2 Manchester City
[Aguero 42’, Sane 59’]
Sunderland: Pickford, Jones, Kone, O’Shea, Oviedo, Larsson, Gibson (Rodwell), Ndong, Januzaj (Khazri), Borini, Defoe Substitutes not used: Mannone, Manquillo, Love, Djilobodji, Honeyman
Manchester City: Caballero, Sagna, Clichy, Fernandinho, Stones, Kolarov, Sterling (Nolito), Toure (De Bruyne), Aguero, Silva, Sane (Delph) Substitutes not used: Bravo, Otamendi, Fernando, Iheanacho
Attendance: 41,107
Prediction…
Sunderland 0-2 Manchester City
It’s likely they’ll just have too much for us.
