Game used for reference: Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland, 2025/2026 Premier League, Round 9
Sunderland have had a memorable start to their 2025-26 Premier League campaign, and their performances have certainly warranted their results.
Their most recent victory came against Premier League contenders Chelsea. They only had 33% possession according to Sofascore, but they were able to pull out the goals when they mattered.
Sunderland are a team that can cause you problems in the air. Daniel Ballard has quietly made the jump from the EFL Championship to the Premier League and has been rock solid. In corner kicks, his tall presence can wreak havoc.
Granit Xhaka has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League so far; it’s safe to say that his move to Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen has been a success. He’s been defensively strong, can crash into the box on offense, and his left foot is an absolute beauty.
If Everton want to walk out of this game with a result, they’ll have to limit Xhaka’s influence and not allow Sunderland to win corner kicks.
James Tarkowski, Jake O’Brien, and Michael Keane should be strong enough to push Ballard off and not give him a clean look at goal. To contain Xhaka, Idrissa Gana Gueye, James Garner, Merlin Röhl, or Tim Iroegbunam will have to play at a top level. If you give Xhaka space, he will exploit it.
Entering this season, Everton would have most likely come into this game as favorites, but considering the current trajectory of these two teams, a draw would be considered a positive result for the Toffees.