Manchester City and Sunderland have confirmed their starting teams for their meeting at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday means the Cityzens can move three points clear at the top of the table with victory in their final game before the international break.
Enzo Maresca’s side have won all four of their league games and thrashed Championship visitors Manchester City 5-0 in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Sunderland earned a momentous 1-0 win at home to AZ on their Europa League debut on Thursday and are on four points, having suffered their only defeat in their last five matches in all competitions with a 2-0 loss at home to Arsenal eight days ago.
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— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) September 20, 2026
Man City confirmed team vs Sunderland
City make 10 changes from their win over Norwich, with their only change from their 1-0 win at Manchester United a week ago an enforced one.
Phil Foden’s red card in that game means the playmaker is replaced by winger Iliman Ndiaye. Wideman Jeremy Doku features in a Premier League squad for the first time this season following injury, starting on the bench.
Manchester City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol, Anderson, Fernandez, Ndiaye, Cherki, Semenyo, Haaland
Substitutes: Rulli, Kovacic, Doku, Ait-Nouri, Bouaddi, O’Reilly, Allan, Khusanov, Lewis
Sunderland full line up vs Manchester City
Sunderland make five changes to their starting side from the win over AZ, bringing in Thomas Meunier, Dayann Methalie, Dan Ballard, Nilson Angulo and Brian Brobbey.
Left-back Reinildo is also banned, with France Under-21 international Methalie making his first Premier League start. Romaine Mundle (knee) and Habib Diarra (hamstring) are sidelined.
Wilson Isidor, Omar Alderete, Reinildo, Trai Hume and Malick Fofana move to the bench.
Sunderland: Roefs, Mukiele, Danso, Ballard, Methalie, Xhaka, Sadiki, Meunier, Le Fee, Angulo, Brobbey
Substitutes: Ellborg, Hume, O’Nien, Alderete, Ahoka, Rigg, Talbi, Fofana, Isidor
Where to watch Man City vs Sunderland: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Sunday is at 14:00 BST (09:00 ET / 06:00 PT). In the UK, live TV coverage is on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra.
Streaming is via Sky Go, which is available on a vast variety of devices for viewing on the move.
Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a day membership, £27.99 a month for a 12-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.
Here’s the full list of Premier League broadcasters in different territories.
Manchester City vs Sunderland stats
- City are unbeaten in all 14 of their Premier League home games against Sunderland (W12 D2), with their last such league defeat against the Black Cats in the second tier in January 1998 (1-0)
- They have previously started a top-flight season with five straight wins in 1912/13 (as part of a run of five victories), 2015/16 (5), 2016/17 (6) and 2023/24 (6)
- Despite losing Foden during the first half, City won 1-0 against Man Utd on matchday four last Sunday for their 24th Premier League win despite receiving a red card, with only Arsenal (38) and Man Utd (25) achieving the feat more times
- Maresca could become the sixth manager to win his first five Premier League games in charge of a club, after Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea (6), Pep Guardiola at Man City (6), Craig Shakespeare at Leicester (5), Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea (5) and Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Man United (6)
- With two defeats in their last 30 Premier League matches (W20 D8), City’s total of 68 points is the joint-most of any side since the start of that run on 29 November last year, level with Arsenal
- Sunderland are winless in nine Premier League games against Manchester City (D2 L7) since a 1-0 home win in November 2013 under Gus Poyet
- They have scored in each of their last eight away Premier League matches, which is their best run of scoring away from home in the top flight since a run of eight between November and February in the 2015/16 season, last having a longer run between April and October 1956 (10)
- Since a 2-1 win at Chelsea in April 2014, Sunderland are winless in 17 Premier League games against teams starting the day in the top-two (D4 L13)
- Erling Haaland has scored in eight of his last nine appearances for a total of nine goals but Sunderland remain the only team he hasn’t scored against in the Premier League, having three shots with an expected goals total of 0.75 without finding the net in two games against the Black Cats
- Enzo Le Fee has six goals, six assists and has taken six penalties in the Premier League for Sunderland, making the midfielder one of two players to have scored more than once in the competition and have the same totals for goals, assists and penalties, along with Gary McSheffrey (3 each)
