In a pivotal encounter in the Championship, promotion hopefuls Sunderland make the trip to the bet365 Stadium on Sunday to face Stoke City, who find themselves embroiled in a battle to avoid the drop.
The Potters find themselves languishing in 19th place with just 22 points after a 2-0 defeat to Leeds United on Boxing Day. In contrast, Sunderland sit comfortably in fourth with 44 points following a thrilling 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers on Thursday.
Stoke City are teetering dangerously close to the relegation zone, holding a slim three-point lead over 22nd-placed Hull City. The situation becomes more precarious considering both Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle, who occupy 23rd and 24th positions with 18 points apiece, have a game in hand over the Potters.
On the other hand, the visitors arrive with momentum from their action-packed encounter against fifth-placed Blackburn. Sunderland carved out four major scoring opportunities in that clash, amassing an expected goals tally of 1.2. Le Bris' team currently occupy one of the league’s coveted playoff positions, sitting four points adrift of table-toppers Leeds United and second-placed Sheffield United.
The Black Cats have been in fine fettle recently, securing victories in four of their last six matches. During this period, they've netted 10 goals while conceding seven, showcasing both their attacking flair and areas needing defensive refinement.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
How to watch Stoke vs Sunderland online - TV channels & live streams
The match will be shown live on Paramount+ in the US. Live updates can be found here on GOAL.
How to watch anywhere with VPN
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sport.
Stoke vs Sunderland kick-off time
The match will be played at the Bet365 Stadium on Sunday, December 29, with kick-off at 10:00 am ET/7:00 am PT for fans in the US.
Team news & squads
Stoke vs Sunderland lineups
5-4-1
Formation
4-2-3-1
SUNSTK-Line up
STKSubstitutes
Manager
R. Shawcross
SUN-Line up
SUNSubstitutes
- 24
A. Connolly
77’
- 42
A. Alese
67’
- 10
P. Roberts
67’
- 33
L. Hjelde
- 41
Z. Johnson
- 21
S. Moore
- 50
H. Jones
- 15
N. Rusyn
- 47
T. Samuel-Ogunsuyi
Manager
R. Le Bris
Injuries and Suspended players
Injuries and Suspensions
- No sidelined players
Injuries and Suspensions
- No sidelined players
Stoke team news
The hosts will be without midfield duo Ben Pearson and Jordan Thompson, paving the way for a double pivot of Souleymane Sidibe and Wouter Burger.
In defence, a likely back three of Ben Wilmot, Ashley Phillips, and Ben Gibson will line up, given that Enda Stevens remains sidelined until mid-January.
Forward Million Manhoef is unavailable, which could lead to Thomas Cannon spearheading the attack, supported by wingers Andrew Moran and Lewis Koumas.
Sunderland team news
For the visitors, attacking midfielder Chris Rigg limped off against Blackburn and may be replaced in the starting XI by Adil Aouchiche.
Sunderland will also be without defenders Daniel Ballard, Jenson Seelt, and Niall Huggins, as well as midfielders Alan Browne and Salis Abdul Samed.
The midfield pairing of Jobe Bellingham and Dan Neil is almost guaranteed, shielding a backline that could feature Trai Hume, Chris Mepham, Luke O'Nien, and Dennis Cirkin.
In attack, the Black Cats face further selection headaches, with forwards Tom Watson, Ahmed Abdullahi, and Romaine Mundle unavailable through injury. As such, Aouchiche may join Patrick Roberts, Eliezer Mayenda, and Wilson Isidor in the forward line.
Form
STK-Form
STK- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 4/10
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 3/5
- Both teams scored
- 3/5
SUN-Form
SUNBlackburn
2
-
2
Sunderland
D
Sunderland
2
-
1
Norwich
W
Swansea
2
-
3
Sunderland
W
Sunderland
1
-
1
Bristol City
D
Sunderland
2
-
1
Stoke
W
- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 10/7
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 4/5
- Both teams scored
- 5/5
Head-to-Head Record
STKLast 5 matches
SUN2
Wins
0
Draws
3
Wins
Goals scored
8- Games over 2.5 goals
- 4/5
- Both teams scored
- 4/5