Martin Wanless predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Spurs 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Chemsdine Talbi
After being able to enjoy the derby win for three weeks, it’s back to Premier League action and — to channel my inner Régis Le Bris — this is an interesting challenge.
Spurs have been awful recently but another change of manager may well give them the kick they evidently need.
From our perspective, the derby win may distract us from some of our recent struggles, particularly in breaking teams down, but with players
returning from injury, we’ll hopefully see a better performance than we have recently at the Stadium of Light.
Are the players fully focused on a European charge, or are they more concerned with ticking over until the World Cup? We’ll soon find out.
I’m going for a 2-0 win, with Talbi getting another goal.
‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 3 Spurs 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
Spurs really are on the ropes just now and how they handle the pressure of being in the drop zone with a new gaffer will start to be seen today.
If we get the first goal, this could be a very long trip back to North London, and given they need to go for a win way more than we do, there’s a chance that there’ll be space for us to exploit on the counter rather than being forced to break a team down.
I’m backing the lads to soak up the initial pressure, get the first goal and then get another one or two to close this win out.
I think Spurs may get one — and if they get the first, it could be an interesting challenge — but I think now is too soon for them to start their fightback, and in general, with Roberto De Zerbi coming in at this point, I think it may already be too late for them to get out of the bottom three.
Hopefully I’m right.
Jack Howe-Gingell predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Spurs 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
It’s great to be back!
It feels like an eternity since our last game in the league and I can hardly believe there are only seven games left. It’s been a wonderful first season back, and it’ll give us a great platform for 2026/2027, but I’m keen for us to finish strongly.
Tottenham will have doubtless have a bounce with Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival, but they are where they are from playing poorly and we need to pour the misery on. We should have most of our players available after a bit of an injury crisis, so they’ll likely feel like new players, if not a little rusty.
Regardless, the Lads will get a hero’s welcome after our latest derby triumph.
Get stuck into them as we can, and we’ll finish them off.
Will Jones predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Spurs 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
Spurs come into this in the drop zone, which tells you everything about where they’re at. Confidence will be low, and Mohammed Kudus won’t be returning as predicted following a long-term injury suffered in the reverse fixture — he’ll be a big miss for them.
This is the kind of game where we have to be on the front foot — at home, against a side under pressure. Get into them early and see how they react. If the crowd senses it, it could be horrible for them, but they’ve still got quality and this isn’t a free hit.
Brobbey feels like the one to get on the end of something if it gets a bit messy in the box; another big goal, but think the result will be close and one that Spurs will come out of feeling the happier of the two.
Matty Foster predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
Tottenham’s barren run in 2026 is impressively bad and they find themselves staring at the very real prospect of relegation. With the last roll of the dice, they’ve hired Roberto De Zerbi, in the hope he can do more than his two predecessors.
Will there be a ‘new manager bounce’? Can they end their winless run? Normally Sunderland can be very charitable in these circumstances but hopefully, the eighty four years we’ve had between games will see a few injury returns.
I see Spurs having enough to stay up, but would love us to keep them sweating.
Anthony Gair predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 0 Spurs 3
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: N/A
We’ll come out with an air of ‘job done syndrome’, whilst Spurs are fighting for their lives — and by the time we remember how to play football, we’ll be 0-2 down.
No scorer, and I’m going to drink alcohol before and after the game to get over it.
You’re welcome.
Gary Winter predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Spurs 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
Looking back, it feels difficult to top this season.
The second win against the Mags was unbelievable given our sketchy form and extensive injury list. Just when our season seemed to be petering out, this team really showed up when it matters and they gave the fans another memorable outing in the most dramatic of fashions.
The question now is: Do we actually believe we can make a late run for a European spot, or is that “job done” and a case of seeing out the rest of the season by sleepwalking in second gear?
It’s fourteen league games without a win for Tottenham — a run that stretches back to before the New Year, and it’s a shame we don’t get to face Igor Tudor’s side and now we have to expect a ‘new manager bounce’ for this game.
It really is “do or die” time for Spurs, as they’re well and truly in an unthinkable relegation scrap and we’ll see how much their players want to keep the club in the Premier League.
A win for us would put them in much deeper trouble and I would love us to do it on International Fans’ Day weekend in front of those travelling from far and wide.
The derby aside, we haven’t looked consistently fully motivated since achieving likely safety. I see this being a tight affair where we may have to settle for a draw, but Brobbey is such a handful and I see him proving a menace again for Spurs.
Brett Lyons-Davis predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Spurs 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fée
Spurs come to our stadium in absolutely shocking form and after failing to get any ‘new manager bounce’ with the last one, they’re now trying again with Roberto De Zerbi in the hope he’ll save them from the drop.
I feel the first goal is going to be important in this one.
Spurs are so mentally weak at the moment that if they go a goal down early, I feel we’ll add to their woes — especially with our crowd doubtless in a happy mood with this being our first game after defeating the Mags, and hopefully with a few of those injured players back in contention.
Last time out…
The international break seemed to be long and dull — probably not helped by the fact we completed our double on the dirty b*stards from up the road just before it came about.
The way we fought back after gifting them a goal at their own place was amazing to behold, and the graft from the whole team to turn it around and nick a 2-1 away win late on was amazing.
Today, we face a side who haven’t been relegated from the Premier League since it was created well over thirty years ago but are in a perilous position after a great win for West Ham on Friday night.
Can Roberto De Zerbi turn their season around? Maybe, but hopefully during the last five or six games and not with this one.
Last game predictions…
Only four of the lads went for a win, with the rest predicting and hoping for a draw, but we completed the double and secured all six points from the barcodes before the international games bored the crap out of us for a spell.
Talbi scored our first and the equaliser, which wasn’t called by anyone, so no FGS points gathered for the writers, who won’t have given a shite given the result at the tip on the hill.
Predictions table and standings
Malc nips ahead of Will at the top, and Gary now shares third place with Brett.
We’re into the home stretch now, so anyone wanting to challenge Malc and Will really needs to put a string of predictions together, as the winner for this season is surely going to come from the current top three or four.
How the points are awarded
Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:
- Correct score = Three points
- Correct outcome (but not correct score) = One point
- Correct first Sunderland goalscorer = One point (no goalscorer is a valid call)
- Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = a two-point deduction.
