Sunderland will entertain Leeds United at the Stadium of Light on Sunday as they look to secure a good result at home in the Premier League. The Black Cats managed to secure a hard-fought 1-1 draw away at Lech Poznan recently, so they would be eager to return to winning ways this weekend.
Regis Le Bris will set his men up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make a few changes to his starting XI for this clash. Brian Brobbey could get the nod to lead the line for Sunderland if he can pass a late fitness test.
4-2-3-1 Sunderland Predicted Lineup To Face Leeds United
Defence
Robin Roefs will feature in between the sticks for the Black Cats after conceding one goal in his last appearance. Nordi Mukiele will operate alongside Omar Alderete at the centre of Le Bris’ defence as they look to keep the opposition attackers frustrated during the contest.
Trai Hume will fill in as the right-back, while Reinildo Mandava hopes to give a good account of himself on the other flank as the left-back. Both of them will have to pick and choose their moments to join in on the attack.
Luke O’Nien will provide cover for the defensive positions on the bench.
POZNAN, POLAND – OCTOBER 22: Nilson Angulo of Sunderland runs with the ball under pressure from Michal Gurgul of Lech Poznan during the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between KKS Lech Poznan and Sunderland AFC at Poznan Stadium on October 22, 2026 in Poznan, Poland. (Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images)
Midfield
Noah Sadiki and Granit Xhaka will anchor the midfield for the Wearside club as they focus on winning the 50-50 battles in the middle of the park and engineering some decent chances in the final third.
The talented trio of Nilson Angulo, Enzo Le Fee and Chris Rigg will operate just ahead of them as part of Le Bris’ attack. All three of them need to link up with each other well if they want to create enough chances for Sunderland to win this game.
Habib Diarra and Malick Fofana will have to be content with a spot on the bench and might come on to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if needed.
Attack
Brian Brobbey will spearhead Sunderland’s attack up top if he can recover in time for his game. He has to find a way to be a constant menace on the offensive end of the pitch.
Timur Tutyerov will be named on the bench as he waits for his chance to shine in the latter stages of the game if required.