The week that Sunderland have in store from next week is one that, for far too long, we’ve only been able to dream about. Arsenal at home and Man City away are either side of AZ Alkmaar for our first European match in 53 years.
The defending champions, a club that has won everything there is to win in club football, and a Dutch team absolutely flying this season make for a tough trio of matches on paper, but it’s going to be so exciting.
Four years ago, we would have had a run of games which would be
something like Lincoln City, Cheltenham and Fleetwood, and everything about watching Sunderland slog through the third tier for four seasons was completely soul-destroying.
There are so many comparisons to that period of our history, which is still so close to where we are now, but it is an incredible way of mapping out the rise we’ve had from an eternal embarrassment to a club that can attract young talent from the continent to help us in our first conquest into Europe.
Before this, however, we’ve got probably our hardest home game of the season. Arsenal haven’t looked perfect so far, but they certainly aren’t far off it. They took a while to get going against Chelsea but were able to make it three wins from three, conceding just once in the process.
However, they came to the SoL last year on a similar ominous run, and we were able to give them a hell of a game. We’ve got another chance to get Wearside rocking under the lights against Arsenal (not to sound too Leeds-at-Elland-Road about it all), and we’ll be the underdogs, a tag which Régis Le Bris and the squad seem to thrive under.
Four days after Mikel Arteta and co depart the north east, we welcome AZ Alkmaar for a truly historic night. For me, this is the biggest game of the week for the obvious reason that it’s been a long time since we last tasted European football.
This would have been the case whoever we ended up playing for the first time, but the fact it’s a Dutch team with a rich history makes it feel that bit more special. A first taste of European football for the Stadium of Light is going to be one for the ages, and if we can mark it with three Europa League points then it’ll be even better.
The third and final game of this run is a trip to Man City, which is always one that is daunting on paper. Our 3-0 loss there in December was a real ‘welcome back to the Premier League’ moment as, despite some bright spells, we were dispatched relatively easily. There is a part of me that believes we can get a result at the Etihad this time around, although, as an eternal Sunderland optimist, I’ll say this most games.
What could be key is that after this game in Manchester, it’s almost three weeks until we next play as a result of the new, extended international break. This could be significant with lots of travelling coming up in October.
As a football fan, you should want your team to play big games as often as possible. Our next three matches and their significance are some of the biggest we’ll face this season. Sunderland have earned the right to play in Europe and against the best teams in England – I say bring them all on.
