Premier League: City Goal-Rush Will Stomp on Sunderland

Manchester City vs Sunderland

Two wins in four games took Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City up to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal on Tuesday night. And while the Sky Blues made it hard for themselves, their goalscoring exploits have been quite sensational. 

Eight goals against Leeds United and Fulham are only half the story, though. 3-2 and 5-4 outcomes made it nerve-jangling for the City fans after they coasted into a two-goal lead against Leeds and were four up against the Cottagers. Guardiola’s team will score for fun, and if they can keep concentration when they are in front and tighten up at the back, they will give the title-chasing Gunners plenty to think about over the next few months. 

Arsenal can stretch their lead back to five points when they play Brentford on Wednesday night, but for now, City have put down a marker, and the SBOTOP odds say they will keep the pressure up on Saturday when they host Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland. 

The Black Cats have already accumulated an impressive 22 points, and they have won plenty of plaudits with their fighting spirit, particularly at home. But this is a tough week for Sunderland, who face Liverpool on Wednesday night. If the Merseysiders can rediscover their form, they could soften up the Black Cats for their next opponents.     

 

Talking Points

City’s Fab 4 are box office 

Manchester City’s Tuesday win over Fulham showcased some of their best and most clinical attacking prowess, with a front four of Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Tijjani Reijnders, and Phil Foden tormenting the Cottagers back line. 

The Sky Blues raced into a 3-0 lead before Emile Smith Rowe pulled one back before the break. The first was a Haaland special and his 100^th Premier League goal, a first-time howitzer when he met a cross from Doku. And then the Norwegian goal machine put through Reijnders to finish with supreme class. The best of the three was Foden’s, as he picked up a clearance 20 yards out, shifted his weight onto his left, and curled a beauty beyond Bernd Leno and into the corner of the net.

It was Haaland and Foden who combined for City’s fourth, with the Manchester lad having another superb finish, and then Doku fired in the fifth with the help of a huge deflection from Sander Berge. Alex Iwobi scored for the hosts to make it 2-5, and then a quick-fire double from Samuel Chukwueze set up a grandstand finish, as Sky Blues fans chewed their nails, but the score ended 4-5, and the Premier League 2025 betting odds stayed behind City as a top-two finisher. 

It is the form of Foden and Haaland that has made the Sky Blue fans believe again. And if Guardiola can sort out his defence, they will push the Gunners all the way. Foden was at his brilliant best in City’s 3-2 win over Leeds United last Saturday, and the visitors must find a way to stop him, or it could be painful.  

 

Black Cats have credit in the bank 

This has been some return to the top-flight for Sunderland, who, under Le Bris, have put together a superb set of Premier League 2025 results: six wins, four draws, and just three defeats from their first 13 games. The Black Cats are flying high in sixth place in the league table, two points behind Chelsea in third and a whopping 11 points above the drop zone. 

That buffer is not only impressive, but it is quite a comfort to the owners and fans of the club, who could have been forgiven for expecting a rougher ride. Had they accumulated six or seven points fewer, a run of Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Brighton and Hove Albion would look rather ominous.         

Granit Xhaka, with four assists, has been imperious in the middle of the park while striker Wilson Isidor, with four goals, has made the step up from the Championship, as has Enzo Le Fe with his two goals and two assists. Other than a tough run of fixtures Sunderland have another issue on the horizon though, as they will lose up to seven players to the African Cup of Nations in the New Year. 

But I think they have enough in the bank to see them through, and while Le Bris won’t see this game as a free hit, the Sunderland manager won’t lose any sleep if his team returns home empty-handed.  

 

History 

Since their first-ever meeting way back in 1899, a 2-1 win for City by the way, the Sky Blues have won 72 of the head-to-heads to Sunderland’s 50, and there have been 25 draws. More recently, Manchester City have won the last seven encounters, between 2014 and 2017, the last match a 2-0 victory at the Stadium of Light.     

In terms of recent form, the Mancunians have four wins and two losses from their last six games in all competitions, while Sunderland have three wins, two draws, and one defeat before they meet Liverpool on Wednesday night.  

 

Betting Tip

With Manchester City at 1.24, Sunderland at 8.60, and the draw at 5.50, this game seems to be heading for another Sky Blue win, and I’m looking for more goals. 

City have scored 18 in their last five wins while Sunderland have scored 10 in six games, so they too have a goal in them. And for an alternative bet, a 3-1 home win can be backed at 10.50.

   

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