Sunderland vs West Ham United preview: Team news, likely lineups, scoreline prediction
Sunderland kick off their Premier League campaign at the Stadium of Light this Saturday after an eight-year absence from the top flight.
The Black Cats secured promotion via the play-offs and have spent north of £100million already this summer.
Regis Le Bris’ side have struggled in pre-season, although that all counts for nothing as the real business starts now.
As for West Ham, they endured a turbulent 2024/25 campaign, and the pressure is on Graham Potter to turn things around.
The Premier League encounter promises to be an intriguing one, and both will be striving to start the campaign with three points.
Form guide
Sunderland: LLLWL
West Ham: WLWWD
Team News
Sunderland will be without Luke O’Nien and a host of players for their Premier League opener, with five players ruled out through injury.
The defender just signed a new contract at the Stadium of Light; however, he is still recovering from the dislocated shoulder he suffered against Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium.
Dennis Cirkin, Aji Alese, Romaine Mundle and Leo Hjelde will also miss the game because of injury.
New Sunderland signings Marc Guiu, Arthur Masuaku, and Omar Alderete could feature, but are unlikely to start due to a lack of pre-season action.
- The Black Cats have five players ruled out through injury
- Three new signings could make the squad despite fitness concerns
As for West Ham, they have a much cleaner bill of health, with only two players ruled out with injuries.
Crysencio Summerville is out with a thigh injury, while George Earthy is recovering from an ankle injury suffered in pre-season.
Read more: Regis Le Bris shares triple fitness update ahead of Sunderland clash vs West Ham
Predicted lineups
Sunderland: Roefs, Hume, Ballard, Seelt, Reinildo, Xhaka, Diarra, Sadiki, Talbi, Adingra, Mayenda
West Ham: Hermansen, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Walker-Peters, Diouf, Paqueta, Bowen, Fullkrug
Prediction: Sunderland 2-2 West Ham
The opening fixtures of the Premier League season can always be tough to predict, and this one falls into that category.
Sunderland’s home will certainly be bouncing, and the 12th man could be a defining factor for Le Bris’ side.
As for West Ham, they may have endured a difficult 2024/25 campaign, but they do have several quality players on paper.
| Date | Result |
| 21 March 2015 | West Ham 1-0 Sunderland |
| 3 October 2015 | Sunderland 2-2 West Ham |
| 27 February 2016 | West Ham 1-0 Sunderland |
| 22 October 2016 | West Ham 1-0 Sunderland |
| 15 April 2017 | Sunderland 2-2 West Ham |
Given the head-to-head record between the two sides, expect goals in a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light.
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