Sunderland were one of the main revelations of the 2025/26 season in the Premier League, but opponents will now take them much more seriously. Liverpool, meanwhile, are rebuilding under the demands of Andoni Iraola.
Liverpool
Liverpool are returning to their preferred attacking football, backed up by a structured pressing game. That should bring more vertical attacks and, consequently, more chances to score. Despite having fewer resources, Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth created only slightly fewer chances last season (64.24 xG) than the star-studded Liverpool (67.68 xG). So far, they have not made any high-profile signings, which should help them avoid another period of turbulence.
Sunderland
Régis Le Bris’ Sunderland did not score many goals (an average of 1.1 per game), and their set pieces rarely led to goals: nine in the league, which was only 18th in the standings. The main hope is Robin Roefs and the defence. Even Arne Slot’s Liverpool had problems against them: across the two league meetings, Sunderland managed only one goal, but that was enough to earn four points. On top of that, experienced defender Thomas Meunier has arrived. However, it is still unclear how ready the Belgian is to play right now after a demanding FIFA World Cup.
Liverpool vs Sunderland Prediction
Sunderland are unlikely to commit many players forward and will rely on counter-attacks. In this scenario, we should not see many goals, but Liverpool’s attack with Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and now Víctor Muñoz is capable of scoring at least once. They are clear favourites, and rightly so.
