Sunderland vs. Nottingham Forest preview, h2h, team news: Can Aina’s Reds stun the Black Cats?

After a seven-goal spectacle at Villa Park, Sunderland have the chance to end the week in the upper half of the 2025/26 Premier League table, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Black Cats host Nottingham Forest on Friday at the Stadium of Light in a Matchweek 34 fixture.

Régis Le Bris’ side are eager to respond after their 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa and push back towards the top ten. Forest, under Vítor Pereira, arrive on the back of five unbeaten league games, including Morgan Gibbs-White’s hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Burnley. The reunion comes six months after Sunderland’s 1-0 victory at the City Ground in the first meeting of the season.

Match preview

Sunderland sit 11th in the Premier League with 46 points from 33 games. The Roker Men are just four points off sixth place and are dreaming of a European finish, something that would have been unthinkable for a newly-promoted side.

At home, the Black Cats are even more formidable. Their record at the Stadium of Light stands at 2.33 points per game, with an average of 1.17 goals scored and just 0.67 conceded per match. The defensive foundation runs through Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele and the Alderete-O’Nien partnership, with Reinildo on the left.

Nottingham Forest face a different reality. The Tricky Trees sit 16th with 36 points, five clear of Tottenham, who occupy the first relegation place.

Vítor Pereira’s arrival on February 15, following the successive departures of Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche, stabilised the squad. The 4-1 win over Burnley has put Forest five points clear of the drop zone and has all but secured their top-flight status. Their remaining mission is twofold: to close out the Premier League season with dignity and to remain alive in the Europa League, where they face Aston Villa in the semifinal.

Sunderland vs. Nottingham Forest head-to-head

This is only the second meeting between the clubs in the Premier League since 1996/97, when Sunderland won 4-1 at the Stadium of Light. Across all competitions, the Black Cats have come out on top in five of their last seven encounters.

The first meeting of this season, played on September 27, 2025, at the City Ground, ended 1-0 to Sunderland. Omar Alderete rose above the Forest defence to meet a free kick from Granit Xhaka in the 38th minute and settled the contest.

It was in that gameweek that Sunderland climbed to third place in the table, one of the most remarkable starts by a promoted club in recent memory.

Recent history favours the Black Cats, but both clubs’ matches this season have revealed teams with very different approaches. Forest will look to replicate the territorial dominance they showed in the first fixture, when they created more chances but were wasteful in front of goal.

Team news

Sunderland

Le Bris’ injury list remains lengthy. Bertrand Traoré (knee), Romaine Mundle (muscle injury), Jocelin Ta Bi and Simon Moore are all ruled out and are not expected to return until May. Nilson Angulo, signed in January for £17.5m, has been training with the group but remains a doubt after a muscle injury sustained in March.

The positive news is the gradual return of Dan Ballard. The Northern Irish centre-back came off the bench against Aston Villa and is expected to earn more minutes against Forest. Omar Alderete, the hero of the first meeting, is a late doubt and appears on the unavailable list according to FotMob.

In attack, Brian Brobbey and Wilson Isidor are competing for the centre-forward spot. Chris Rigg, the talented 17-year-old, scored against Villa and is expected to start. Habib Diarra and Enzo Le Fée form the creative corridor alongside Xhaka.

Probable Sunderland XI (4-2-3-1): Roefs; Mukiele, Alderete, O’Nien and Reinildo; Xhaka and Sadiki; Talbi, Le Fée and Diarra; Brobbey. Manager: Régis Le Bris.

Nottingham Forest

Pereira has lost Callum Hudson-Odoi for the remainder of the season. The former Chelsea winger suffered a serious muscle injury in the Porto match and subsequent tests confirmed the worst-case scenario. Hudson-Odoi had been Forest’s primary creative outlet on the left and had registered three assists in the Premier League since March.

The absentee list also includes Nicolo Savona (knee surgery), John Victor (knee) and Willy Boly. Murillo is a doubt after feeling his hamstring in the first half against Burnley.

In attack, Pereira has plenty of options to cover for Hudson-Odoi. Dan Ndoye, Omari Hutchinson and Dilane Bakwa are competing for the two wide positions. Gibbs-White plays as an attacking midfielder behind top scorer Igor Jesus, while Chris Wood and Nigeria’s Taiwo Awoniyi are expected to be among the substitutes.

Probable Nottingham Forest XI (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato and Williams; Sangaré and Anderson; Bakwa, Gibbs-White and Hutchinson; Igor Jesus. Manager: Vítor Pereira.

Key players for Sunderland vs. Nottingham Forest

The managers

Régis Le Bris is one of the most surprising managerial stories in European football this year. The 49-year-old French coach took charge of Sunderland in the Championship in 2024, secured promotion via the play-offs and has since overseen the most consistent top-flight return in recent memory for a promoted club.

Le Bris’ style is compact and vertical, built on medium-block pressing and short transitions between midfield and attack. The manager has also drawn praise for his in-game reading and decisive substitutions, Sunderland are the second-highest scorers in the league in the second half.

Vítor Pereira was Forest’s third managerial appointment of the current season. The 57-year-old Portuguese coach arrived in mid-February, following the tenures of Postecoglou and Dyche, and stabilised the dressing room in short order. Since then, Forest have suffered just two defeats in 11 Premier League matches.

Pereira’ tactical blueprint favours mid-block defending, rapid transitions and the intelligent movement of Gibbs-White through central positions. The Portuguese coach values width from his full-backs and Super Eagles defender Ola Aina will be key to the Reds’ attack from the right. The former Chelsea lad has made 17 appearances in the Premier League this season and has notched an assist. Igor Jesus, with four league goals and three assists in 32 games this term, will operate as a focal point in the box.

Tactical analysis

Sunderland are expected to line up in their familiar 4-2-3-1, with Xhaka and Sadiki shielding the centre-backs.

Build-up play starts at the Swiss midfielder’s feet as he distributes diagonally to Talbi on the right and Diarra on the left. Le Fée acts as the link between midfield and attack, tasked with drifting between lines.

Forest, also in a 4-2-3-1, are likely to sit deeper on Wearside. Without Hudson-Odoi, Pereira’ plan appears to be conserving energy off the ball, allowing Sunderland possession in midfield and exploiting counter-attacks through Bakwa’s pace and Gibbs-White’s runs in behind.

The most compelling contest is likely to unfold in the wide channels. Reinildo will need to contain Bakwa down Forest’s right side, while Neco Williams faces the challenge of keeping Talbi quiet. The recently remodelled full-back pairing of Mukiele and Reinildo, disrupted by injuries, remains Sunderland’s most vulnerable area, and Forest are expected to target this flank early.

At the other end, Forest’s weakness emerges in defensive transitions. The Tricky Trees have conceded 47 Premier League goals, the fifth-worst defensive record in the division, and frequently lose their markers at crosses and set pieces. It was precisely from such a situation that the decisive goal came in the first meeting: Alderete unmarked in the area from a Xhaka free kick.

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