Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest - prediction, team news, lineups

Sunderland and Nottingham Forest clash astatine the Stadium of Light connected Friday connected matchday 34 of the 2025-26 Premier League season. 

The Black Cats stay successful the combat for European qualification, portion the Tricky Trees are battling for their top-flight survival.

Match preview

Sunderland person enjoyed a stunning archetypal play backmost successful the English top-flight since their relegation successful 2016-17, with the Black Cats battling for a astonishment European qualification heading into the last weeks of the term. 

Regis Le Bris' broadside person picked up 12 wins, 10 draws and suffered 11 defeats successful 33 Premier League fixtures, leaving them 11th successful the standings with 46 points. 

Consequently, Sunderland proceedings sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion by conscionable 4 points, portion the Black Cats besides person a crippled successful manus connected the Seagulls, meaning they could chopped that spread to conscionable 1 constituent with a win.

Le Bris' men are, however, battling with galore different teams for a European spot, with 14th and sixth separated by conscionable 8 points, meaning a winning extremity to the play is apt required to publication their spot successful a continental competition. 

Following the devastation of their melodramatic 4-3 decision to Aston Villa past weekend, conceding a 93rd-minute victor from Tammy Abraham, Sunderland volition beryllium anxious to bounce backmost and assertion each 3 points. 

The Black Cats volition fancy their chances arsenic they instrumentality to their location ground, wherever they person won eight, drawn 5 and mislaid lone 3 league games, though they person triumphed successful conscionable 1 of their past 4 matches astatine the Stadium of Light. 

Nottingham Forest besides caput into the brushwood successful formidable form, with the Tricky Trees winning 4 and drafting 3 of their past 7 matches crossed each competitions. 

Alongside booking their spot successful the Europa League semi-finals, wherever they volition look chap Premier League broadside Aston Villa, Forest person importantly strengthened their endurance hopes during that tally of results. 

Vitor Pereira's broadside person won 2 and drawn 3 of their past 5 Premier League fixtures, including an emphatic 3-0 triumph implicit relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur. 

As a result, the Tricky Trees person climbed to 16th successful the array with 36 points, giving them a steadfast five-point cushion implicit 18th-placed Spurs with conscionable 5 games remaining. 

However, a pugnacious extremity to the run volition spot Forest look Sunderland, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Bournemouth.

Pereira volition beryllium anxious for his broadside to support their existent signifier passim that tally to springiness themselves the champion accidental of survival, starting by picking up important points against the Black Cats connected Friday. 

Nottingham Forest whitethorn person mislaid each of their past 2 clashes with Sunderland, but the Tricky Trees were triumphant successful their past sojourn to the Stadium of Light successful 2017, securing a 1-0 triumph acknowledgment to a Daryl Murphy strike.

Sunderland Premier League form:

Sunderland signifier (all competitions):

Nottingham Forest Premier League form:

Nottingham Forest signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Sunderland volition beryllium without Omar Alderete, Simon Moore and Romaine Mundle for this game, portion Jocelin Ta Bi, Bertrand Traore and Nilson Angulo are besides doubts owed to injury.

Trai Hume replaced the injured Alderete and scored successful their precocious decision to Aston Villa past weekend, and the full-back could commencement alongside Dan Ballard, Luke O'Nien and Nordi Mukiele connected Friday. 

Further forward, Brian Brobbey is Sunderland's apical scorer with six Premier League goals, and the guardant is expected to pb the enactment astatine the Stadium of Light. 

Nottingham Forest besides person respective wounded issues, including Murillo, Dan Ndoye, Willy Boly, Nicolo Savona, John Victor and Callum Hudson-Odoi. 

Pereira whitethorn opt to sanction a mostly unchanged broadside to the 1 that started successful the fantastic 4-1 triumph against Burnley past weekend, including hat-trick leader Morgan Gibbs-White. 

One alteration could spot Igor Jesus travel backmost into the starting side, aft the striker added a precocious 4th from the seat successful that win.

Sunderland imaginable starting lineup:

Roefs; Mukiele, O'Nien, Ballard, Hume; Xhaka, Sadiki; Rigg, Diarra, Le Fee; Brobbey

Nottingham Forest imaginable starting lineup:

Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Jair, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Bakwa, Gibbs-White, Hutchinson; Jesus

We say: Sunderland 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Sunderland person been formidable astatine the Stadium of Light, portion Nottingham Forest are successful fantastic signifier heading into the game, starring america to expect a hard-fought brushwood that we foretell volition extremity each square.

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