Sunderland’s Festive Fixture List: A Defining Month Ahead?
There are, of course, no easy games in the Premier League, but a more favourable run of fixtures would be ideal timing for Sunderland, though the fixture computer was not so kind.
Key points
- This will be another major test for Sunderland, who have looked fairly abject on the road this season and have struggled for goals from open play.
- Sunderland can exploit their weaknesses, and if Brobbey is in the same mood he was against Chelsea, he could have a field day.
- He tore us apart in last season’s fixture, and Villa will be looking for him to produce a similar level of performance.
So, what lies ahead in the run-up to Christmas for Sunderland?
The question is now, though: have Sunderland finally clicked, and can we kick on and maintain that consistency as we head into a hectic Christmas schedule?
Additional details
- Another international break is here, but has it come at the wrong time for Sunderland?
- It was a game which, on a different day, would have seen us escape with three points, but, as is so often the case in the Premier League, the fine margins that we were so often the beneficiaries of last season were the deciding factor.
- Despite inexplicably throwing away two points away at Old Trafford on Sunday, Villa have still made a steady start to the season under the stewardship of Unai Emery, who is somewhat of a European specialist, having won the Europa League with three different clubs.
- They, of course, possess vast quality across the pitch, but in particular captain John McGinn, who is in his ninth season at the club and has been a stalwart every season since his transfer from Hibernian in 2018.
- Their main source of goals departed in the summer, with Ollie Watkins making a big-money move to Saudi Arabia, and his £60 million replacement, Nicholas Jackson, already has nine goals in 14 games and will look to be a thorn in our side.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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