Sunderland vs Man City result predicted by supercomputer
Sunderland will start 2026 with a Stadium of Light encounter against Manchester City.
Sunderland’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United marked the end of a successful 2025, in which the Black Cats achieved promotion from the Championship and climbed to seventh in the Premier League.
Now, the Wearsiders will be looking to make the most of 2026, with ambitions of finishing in a European spot for the first time in their history as a Premier League club.
However, their charge to do so starts with a clash against Man City, who have been unstoppable as of late.
How likely are Sunderland to beat Man City?
From the eye test, very unlikely.
Sunderland will again be without six key players for their encounter against a Man City who look capable of beating anyone they come up against.
It’s eight wins in a row for Thursday’s visitors, including an impressive victory against Real Madrid and a thriller in the 5-4 win over Leeds.
However, no one gave the Black Cats a chance against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, all of whom they remain unbeaten against.
Sunderland have the mentality needed to cause an upset against Pep Guardiola’s side, though, on this occasion, Opta‘s supercomputer can only envisage the game going one way.
City have a 62.9 per cent chance of victory at the Stadium of Light, while the Wearsiders have just a 17.5 per cent chance of picking up their first three points of 2026.
Sunderland have seven-year record to maintain vs Man City
Sunderland are unbeaten at the Stadium of Light this season, and that is a huge factor when it comes to the mentality on display.
Not only from the Black Cats, but also from visiting teams.
A defeat to Man City would hamper that, though it would also end Sunderland’s impressive record in games immediately after the turn of the year.
The Black Cats haven’t lost any of their fixtures at the start of the year since 2018, with three wins and four draws in that period.
They last did so against Barnsley back in 2018, when they went on to get relegated from the Championship under Chris Coleman.
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