Roberto De Zerbi will hope to begin his spell as Tottenham Hotspur boss on a high when his side travels to St Mary’s Stadium to face Sunderland on Sunday, 12th April.
Tottenham’s 2025/26 Premier League campaign has turned into a turbulent fight for survival, leaving them 17th in the table after 31 matches.
A return of seven victories, nine stalemates and 15 defeats has produced just 30 points, while only four clean sheets in the league and a dismal home tally of two wins in 16 fixtures highlight their ongoing difficulties at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Instability has also shaped the season, as Roberto De Zerbi stepped in as the club’s third head coach following the dismissals of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.
Tottenham will be heading to St Mary’s on a 13-game winless run. Only once in their league history have they gone longer without a victory, a 16-match streak from December 1934 to April 1935.
However, in his first assignment as Spurs boss, De Zerbi will be boosted by the North London club’s impressive record against the Black Cats, with whom they remain unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games, their last defeat coming in April 2010.
In addition, the Italian manager won his first league game at three of his last four clubs (Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille), with the only exception being Brighton in the Premier League, where he drew 3-3 with Liverpool.
On the other hand, Sunderland have enjoyed a steady reintroduction to Premier League football during the 2025/26 campaign, occupying 11th position after 29 fixtures with 10 victories, 10 draws and nine defeats.
Their tally of 40 points has come alongside 30 goals scored and 34 conceded, with Brian Brobbey leading the charts with six, in what has been a fairly balanced attacking output across the squad.
At the Stadium of Light, performances have proven more dependable than on the road, with seven home wins compared to just three away, illustrating a team that remains competitive yet somewhat inconsistent throughout the season.
That mix of resilience and limited cutting edge has kept them in mid-table as they head into Sunday’s meeting with Tottenham, aiming to further solidify their place in the top half of the Premier League.
However, ahead of this game, Régis Le Bris’ side are not in the best form, despite winning two of their last three league games, as many as in their previous 12 beforehand.
They will approach this game with the aim of recording their first back-to-back league wins since October, but they will also risk losing four consecutive home games against a Spurs side determined to turn the corner.
Team news
Tottenham confirmed on Thursday that Mohammed Kudus suffered a setback in his recovery from a long-term quadriceps injury.
The Ghanaian international is now expected to miss the rest of the season, significantly impacting the new manager’s plans.
He is scheduled for further assessment by specialists in the coming days, which may result in a surgical recommendation.
In addition, Dejan Kulusevski, James Madison and Wilson Odobert remain Spurs’ longest absentees with respective knee injuries, while Rodrigo Bentancur remains out with a thigh injury. De Zerbi confirmed that the first-choice shotstopper is unavailable for the trip to St Mary’s and will continue his recovery at the club alongside Yves Bissouma (muscle) and Ben Davies (ankle).
It’s not all gloomy for the North Londoners, with Pape Matar Sarr and Mathys Tel both expected to be available.
On the other hand, Sunderland boss Le Bris has been boosted by the return of first-choice goalkeeper Robin Roefs. Still, Daniel Ballard’s absence due to a hamstring injury would be a major blow in keeping out Richarlison, who is one goal away from becoming just the second Brazilian to net 10+ goals in 5+ seasons in the Premier League after Roberto Firmino.
The Black Cats will also be without Bertrand Traoré and Romaine Mundle through knee and hamstring injuries, respectively, while January arrivals Nilson Angulo and Jocelin Ta Bi are among the absentees for this game.
Expected line-ups
Sunderland: Roefs; Geertruida, O’Nien, Alderete, Hume; Sadiki, Xhaka, Diarra; Rigg, Brobbey, Talbi.
Tottenham: Kinsky; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Gray; Tel, Simons, Richarlison; Solanke.
Match stats and head-to-head
• After securing a 1–1 result in January, Sunderland are aiming to go through an entire Premier League campaign without losing either fixture against Tottenham for the first time since the 2008–09 season, when they recorded one win alongside one draw.
• At the Stadium of Light, Sunderland are currently on a run of three consecutive Premier League defeats. However, their last longer sequence of home league losses came in September 2017 in the Championship (four), while the previous instance in the top division dates back to October 2013 (also four).
• From Tottenham’s total in this season’s Premier League, exactly two-thirds of their points have been collected away from home (20 of 30); the only side to record a greater share of points away from home across a single campaign in the competition remains Ipswich Town in 2024–25, who accumulated 68% (15 of 22) of their tally on their travels.
• De Zerbi has secured victory in his first league fixture at three of his previous four clubs—Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Marseille—with the exception of his time at Brighton, where he began with a 3-3 draw against Liverpool and failed to win any of his opening five league matches (two draws and three defeats).
• Only Danny Welbeck in the 2010-11 campaign has netted more goals aged 20 or under in a single campaign for Sunderland than Chemsdine Talbi’s four this season.
• After reaching double figures in goals in the 2018–19 (13), 2019–20 (13), 2021–22 (10), and 2023–24 (11) seasons, Tottenham forward Richarlison is one goal away from becoming the second Brazilian to net 10+ goals in 5+ seasons in the Premier League after Roberto Firmino.
Prediction
Sunderland 1-3 Tottenham: Recent results have dampened Sunderland’s ambitious European hopes following three successive home defeats. However, a significant derby triumph against Newcastle United before the international break will have restored belief heading into the clash with Spurs.
For Tottenham, after a deeply disappointing defeat to Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League game, they have little justification not to respond, especially with suggestions that De Zerbi’s arrival has lifted the squad’s energy and hope.
The Italian manager is not known to change his system, and such a shift could prove challenging for the players, as his style of play usually takes time to embed.
However, given their precarious situation and the urgency of results, Tottenham would at least show more determination than in their previous matches.
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