Manchester City have won each of their last eight meetings with Sunderland, unbeaten in ten overall, their most-recent defeat to the Black Cats coming on Wearside in November 2013.
Sunderland vs Manchester City preview
Can Manchester City close the gap at the top of the Premier League table by continuing their ongoing winning streak? At the weekend, Pep Guardiola's team battled to a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, with Tijjani Reijnders breaking the deadlock before Rayan Cherki scored a late winner. That made it six successive Premier League victories for the Sky Blues, scoring 19 goals across these matches, winning 11 of their last 13 overall.
Despite this, the Citizens kick off five points adrift the leaders, following Arsenal's 4-1 annihilation of Aston Villa on Tuesday, albeit with this game in hand. So, ahead of Chelsea's visit to the Etihad on Sunday, will Man City win again, set to return to Wearside for the first time in nine years?
Sunderland meantime begin 2026 in seventh place in the Premier League, following a rather memorable 2025. Last Sunday, Régis Le Bris' side were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds United at home, taking the lead thanks to Simon Adingra's curler, only to concede just after the interval.
That is now back-to-back draws for the Black Cats, who have lost just two of their last 11, beaten only by Fulham and Manchester City themselves since 4 October. The Mackems are also still yet to see their side taste defeat at the Stadium of Light, picking up 19 points from nine outings, most notably holding Arsenal to a draw and beating fierce rivals Newcastle in last month's Tyne–Wear derby. So, can Sunderland dent Man City's title aspirations on New Year's Day?
Sunderland vs Manchester City head-to-head record
- Matches Played: 148.
- Sunderland Wins: 50. Draws: 25. Manchester City Wins: 73.
Sunderland team news
Sunderland have been depleted by AFCON more than any other Premier League club, with Reinildo Mandava, Arthur Masuaku, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Bertrand Traoré and Chemsdine Talbi all in Morocco. Luckily, weekend scorer Simon Adingra was not included in the Côte d'Ivoire squad.
Given all the absentees, Dan Ballard's ankle injury is far from timely, but there could be a first-ever Premier League start for Luke O'Nien, available again after his red card at Man City.
Trai Hume, Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fée would sit out Sunday's visit to Spurs if booked, and they can ill-afford any more absences right now.
Sunderland predicted lineup vs Manchester City: (4-3-3): Roefs; O'Nien, Mukiele, Alderete, Hume; Xhaka, Geertruida, Le Fée; Isidor, Adingra, Brobbey.
Sunderland player to watch vs Manchester City
Brian Brobbey has scored crucial late goals against both Arsenal and Bournemouth at the Stadium of Light, so could he be the New Year's Day hero too?
Manchester City team news
Rayan Aït-Nouri and Omar Marmoush are Man City's AFCON representatives, while John Stones, Mateo Kovačić, Oscar Bobb and Jérémy Doku are all injured.
In better news, Rodri was an unused substitute at the City Ground, thereby hoping to make a first appearance since 2 November following another hamstring injury.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nico González and Bernardo Silva are all a caution away from sitting out Sunday's huge clash with Chelsea.
Manchester City predicted lineup vs Sunderland: (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Rúben Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Nico, Reijnders, Foden, Silva, Cherki; Håland.
Manchester City player to watch vs Sunderland
Erling Braut Håland has appeared at 24 different Premier League stadiums, scoring at all 24 of them, if you count his goal for RB Salzburg at Anfield. So, can he add the Stadium of Light to this list?
Sunderland vs Manchester City prediction
With Sunderland under strength due to AFCON, we are forecasting a comfortable victory for Man City on New Year's Day, ending the Black Cats unbeaten home record: Sunderland 1-3 Manchester City.
Sunderland vs Manchester City FAQs - Premier League
How to watch Sunderland vs Manchester City in the Premier League on TV channel?
Sunderland vs Manchester City in the Premier League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: Sky Sports Main Event & Ultra HD.
- USA: fuboTV, NBC, Telemundo & Deportes En Vivo
- Canada: Fubo Sports Network 3 Canada
How to watch Sunderland vs Manchester City in the Premier League on live streaming?
Sunderland vs Manchester City in the Premier League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: SkyGo & NOW TV.
- USA: fuboTV, nbcsports.com, USA Network & Telemundo
- Canada: fuboTV Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Sunderland vs Manchester City in the Premier League?
Sunderland vs Manchester City takes place on New Year's Day, Thursday 1 January 2026, with kick off at 20:00 (GMT), 15:00 (ET) & 12:00 (PT).