Sunderland have loved an outstanding begin to the life again within the high flight, however face an enormous check as they tackle a Manchester Metropolis facet who got here by a 5-4 goalfest towards Fulham on Tuesday.
BBC Sport examines a number of the key themes forward of Saturday’s assembly on the Etihad Stadium (15:00 GMT).
Commercial
Metropolis’s defensive file regarding
Manchester Metropolis supervisor Pep Guardiola mentioned his facet’s second-half efficiency of their loopy 5-4 win over Fulham aged him significantly.
“Did you get pleasure from it? I misplaced my hair!” he jokingly bemoaned to reporters afterwards. “It was unattainable for me to get pleasure from.”
Having raced right into a 5-1 lead with Phil Foden and Erling Haaland to the fore, Metropolis have been cruising solely to concede thrice in 21 minutes. A nervy end nearly led to solely the second 5-5 attract Premier League historical past, however Josko Gvardiol’s 98th minute clearance off the road secured three beneficial factors.
Commercial
Query marks, although, have been understandably raised over their defending as they conceded two targets for a fourth straight sport in all competitions.
The 16 targets they’ve let in throughout their 14 league matches doesn’t evaluate favourably with the seven title rivals Arsenal have conceded from the identical quantity of matches.
Earlier than the insanity at Craven Cottage started, Haaland turned not solely the thirty fifth participant to attain 100 Premier League targets, however the quickest.
He achieved the feat in simply 111 video games, beating Alan Shearer’s earlier mark by 13 matches. Fascinatingly, he additionally did it in the identical variety of video games as Watford managed as a group and 7 fewer than it took West Brom’s gamers to cumulatively attain a century.
Commercial
The Norwegian has scored towards all 23 of the Premier League groups he has confronted to this point, can he make Sunderland quantity 24?
[BBC]
Will Le Bris get the proper birthday current?
Sunderland’s level at Liverpool on Wednesday took them to 23 factors from 14 matches, only one fewer than they managed throughout the entire of their earlier Premier League marketing campaign in 2016-17.
Regis Le Bris’s facet got here mightily near what would have been a primary win at Anfield since 1983. After conceding a late deflected equaliser, they have been then left to rue Wilson Isidor spurning a one-on-one on the demise.
However their draw added to a victory earlier within the season at Stamford Bridge towards Chelsea, exhibiting that they don’t seem to be fazed by a visit to the large sides.
Commercial
And there is definitely been nothing fortunate in regards to the Black Cats’ begin to life again within the high flight. Simply two defeats in 12 (W5, D5) means they sit within the lofty heights of sixth, a place their followers might have solely dreamt about at first of the season.
This fixture falls on the day of Le Bris’s fiftieth birthday and it’s honest to say their head coach would not be in need of individuals providing to purchase him a drink if he headed into Sunderland to rejoice.
Nonetheless, in the event that they win their subsequent fixture, which is arguably their largest of the season as Newcastle come to city subsequent Sunday, then he won’t ever have to purchase a drink ever once more.
[BBC]