WATCH FOR THOUGHTS AND PREDICTIONS FROM DAZZLING DAVE AND AN SUNDERLAND FAN
TEAM NEWS
Pereira raised doubts on Friday about the availability of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Hee Chan Hwang, and Jorgen Strand Larsen. He said Bellegarde is ill and Hwang has a minor injury. Strand Larsen is pushing to be involved, but an Achilles issue is still causing him pain.
There was better news on Matt Doherty, who is back after wrist surgery, and Toti has recovered from illness and rejoined the squad.
Regis Le Bris will be without suspended left-back Reinildo Mandava on Saturday after his red card against Aston Villa. Mandava is one of at least five Sunderland absentees. Habib Diarra remains out long term with a groin injury, and Leo Hjelde is recovering from Achilles surgery. Romaine Mundle, Dennis Cirkin, and Aji Alese are also expected to be unavailable.
Noah Sadiki, who missed the recent internationals with an ankle sprain, has progressed well and will be assessed in Friday’s training. Alderete Fernandez was checked after a reported muscle strain on Paraguay duty but is expected to be fit.
VITOR PEREIRA
Pereira started by addressing the 19th-minute red card he picked up against Brighton last time out: “Firstly, I want to apologise. I know football is emotional, and I’m an emotional guy, but my behaviour was not proper. I kicked a ball and it cannot happen again. I apologise.”
The FA charge hearing will take place after the Sunderland match, therefore he will be allowed on the touchline at the Stadium of Light.
In terms of team news, Hwang Hee-chan has a “small injury” and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is “sick”. They are both currently doubts for this weekend.
Jorgen Strand Larsen is “trying his best” amid a recurring Achilles tendon issue. Pereira added: “It’s not easy to be at his best level with the pain [he is experiencing], I understand that. Right now he is still in pain, but he is trying to help the team.”
There is a sense of frustration after dropping points in their last two league games against Tottenham and Brighton. He explained: “If we look over the last three games, we can look at them from the perspective that we didn’t lose. We won in the Carabao Cup and got two draws. In the last minute, we lost two points though – that is the frustration.”
Wolves’ position at the bottom of the Premier League table is a “cause for concern”, but he is happy with the “progress of the team” and believes their last three performances in all competitions have shown they are “very competitive” now.
On opponents Sunderland, he said: “If we had their points total, our confidence would be different. We need to prepare because they are strong, especially at home. We need to be at our best level. We need to face these teams with our tools, our ideas and our identity. It will be a good atmosphere and we need to prove we are ready.”
When asked if he is feeling under pressure, Pereira responded: “I don’t feel the pressure from outside because I don’t read or see anything and I don’t watch TV. I live in my world – and my world is about me and my team. The pressure I put on myself is the pressure I feel.”
MATCH STATS & FACTS
This will be the first league meeting between Sunderland and Wolves since the Black Cats won a Championship game 3-0 in May 2018, and first in the Premier League since a 0-0 draw in April 2012.
Wolves have only won one of their last 10 away league games at Sunderland (D3 L6), a 3-1 Premier League win in May 2011 under Mick McCarthy.
Sunderland have earned seven points in their three Premier League home games this season (W2 D1), and a win here would see them earn 10+ points from their first four home matches of a top-flight campaign (adjusting to 3 pts/win all-time) for the first time since 1968-69 (10).
Wolves have gone 1-0 up in each of their last three Premier League games, but failed to win all three (D2 L1). On only eight occasions has a side scored the opener in 4+ consecutive matches in the competition without winning any, most recently Tottenham Hotspur doing so five games running in November/December 2023.
Just one of Sunderland’s seven Premier League goals this season has been scored in the first half (14%), a league-low ratio. They have had 27 shots and 2.4 xG in the opening 45 minutes of games this term, compared to 43 shots and 3.9 xG after half-time.
Wolves have had 86 pressed sequences against them in the Premier League this season, the most of any side. However, only three sides have forced fewer pressed sequences themselves in the division this term than Sunderland (62).
45% of Sunderland’s non-penalty expected goals tally in the Premier League this season has come from set-pieces (2.5 set-piece xG, 5.6 total) – this is the highest ratio of any side in 2025-26. Wolves, meanwhile, have faced 37% of their non-penalty xGA from set plays, the fourth-highest of any club.
Wolves have had 66 shots in seven Premier League games this season, with their average of 9.4 shots-per-game their lowest in a season in the competition. Sunderland, meanwhile, are averaging 10.0 per game (70 in 7), also their lowest on Opta’s records for them (from 1999-00) in a Premier League campaign.
Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs has made more defensive first contacts from corners (8) than any player in the Premier League this season, punching five and claiming three. The Dutchman has also made 24 saves in the competition this term, behind only Martin Dúbravka (29) and Mats Selz (25).
Along with Fulham, Wolves are one of only two sides yet to see a player score more than once for them in the Premier League this season. It’s only the second time that Wolves haven’t had a player score at least twice in any of their first seven matches of a season in the competition, after 2003-04.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS (ALL COMPETITIONS)
FORM GUIDE (ALL COMPETITIONS)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Rob Jones. Assistants: Neil Davies, Nick Greenhalgh. Fourth official: Anthony Backhouse. VAR: Paul Howard. Assistant VAR: Adrian Holmes.
MATCH INFO
Saturday 18th October, Stadium of Light 3pm