York City vs Sunderland - prediction, team news, lineups

Sunderland statesman their pre-season preparations for the 2026-27 run with a travel to LNER Community Stadium to look newly-promoted League Two broadside York City successful a affable connected Saturday afternoon.

The 2 teams conscionable for the archetypal clip since the summertime of 2021 erstwhile they shared the spoils successful a 1-1 affable draw.

Match preview

Sunderland were competing successful the 3rd part of English shot 5 seasons ago, but they are present gearing up for their archetypal European run since 1974 aft finishing seventh successful the Premier League array past season, qualifying for the Europa League conscionable a twelvemonth aft securing promotion via the Championship playoffs.

The Black Cats’ determination to put heavy successful the first-team squad paid disconnected handsomely, arsenic the nine exceeded expectations by accumulating 54 points successful 38 league games to decorativeness supra the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and rivals Newcastle United.

Regis Le Bris’s broadside person since experienced a quiescent commencement to the summertime transportation window, with 34-year-old right-back Thomas Meunier becoming the club’s archetypal and lone signing to day connected Wednesday, joining connected a escaped transfer.

Sunderland person entered their 2nd week of pre-season grooming aft opening their summertime astatine the club’s academy, gathering up their fittingness done a bid of carnal assessments, gym sessions and on-pitch work.

After facing York connected Saturday, the Black Cats volition alert crossed the pond for their pre-season circuit of the United States wherever they volition instrumentality on Liverpool, Leeds United and Wrexham. They volition reason their preparations for the caller play with matches against Lens successful France and Rennes astatine the Stadium of Light.

After spending a decennary successful non-league football, York City are backmost successful the EFL aft securing promotion arsenic National League champions successful melodramatic manner past season.

The Minstermen accumulated a whopping 108 points successful 46 games, the highest seasonal points tally successful the club's history. They clinched the rubric connected the last time of the play courtesy of an equaliser successful the 13th infinitesimal of stoppage clip to gully 1-1 with second-placed Rochdale, who finished connected 106 points and were brutally forced to look the uncertainty of the promotion playoffs.

Stuart Maynard’s broadside person since experienced a mixed commencement to pre-season, with a 2-1 location triumph implicit League One outfit Barnsley past play followed by a 4-2 decision distant against non-league squad Pickering Town connected Tuesday.

A youthful York broadside was connected show against Pickering owed to concerns implicit the transportation conditions, and it was 17-year-old academy merchandise Tom Hewson who made a notable content with 2 goals.

While York’s elder stars were not successful enactment astatine Mill Lane, respective did enactment successful a behind-closed-doors affable against Middlesbrough Under-21s, cruising to a 6-0 victory.

After facing Sunderland this weekend, York volition caput to Spain adjacent week for a five-day grooming camp, including friendlies against Al-Ettifaq’s Under-21 and elder teams. They volition past instrumentality to England for Paddy McLaughlin’s testimonial against Peterborough United earlier opening the caller play with an EFL Cup first-round necktie astatine location to Crawley Town connected August 3.

York City pre-season form:

Team News

York City midfielder Greg Olley picked up a suspected calf wounded successful the affable triumph implicit Barnsley and subsequently missed the decision to Pickering, making him a uncertainty for Saturday’s game.

Zak Johnson was signed permanently from Sunderland earlier this summertime pursuing a palmy indebtedness spell, and the 21-year-old defender could beryllium successful contention to look his erstwhile club. Fellow caller recruits Arthur Read, Zech Medley, Mark Shelton and Charlie McArthur whitethorn besides diagnostic successful immoderate capacity.

Mark Kitching has been utilised arsenic a near wing-back successful pre-season and whitethorn proceed successful this relation against Sunderland, portion past season’s apical scorer Ollie Pearce, who scored 34 goals successful each competitions, could pb the line.

As for Sunderland, respective first-team players stay lack pursuing their engagement astatine the 2026 World Cup and are yet to instrumentality to pre-season training.

New signing Meunier, attacker Chemsdine Talbi and skipper Granit Xhaka precocious represented Belgium, Morocco and Switzerland respectively successful the quarter-finals, portion Habib Diarra, Brian Brobbey, Noah Sadiki and Arthur Masuaku are among those besides expected to miss retired this weekend.

However, the likes of Daniel Ballard, Nordi Mukiele, Trai Hume, Chris Rigg, Enzo Le Fee, Luke O'Nein and Reinildo Mandava each took portion successful grooming this week and could play against York.

York City imaginable starting lineup:

Sykes-Kenworthy; Johnson, Palmer, McArthur; King, Read, Boateng, Kitching; Banks, Hewson; Pearce

Sunderland imaginable starting lineup:

Ellborg; Hume, Ballard, O'Nein, Reinildo; Rigg, Browne, Le Fee; Ta Bi, Abdullahi, Mundle

We say: York City 1-3 Sunderland

York City volition beryllium keen to springiness a beardown relationship of themselves successful beforehand of their ain supporters against top-flight opposition. However, Sunderland should yet person excessively overmuch top-tier prime for their newly-promoted hosts, adjacent without the beingness of respective prima names.

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