Sunderland are winless in their last five home league games against Crystal Palace (D3 L2). They’ve lost two of their last three against the Eagles, more than they had in their first 15 (W7 D7 L1).
The away side hasn’t lost any of the last eight Premier League meetings between Sunderland and Crystal Palace (W5 D3), since the Eagles’ 3-1 win at Selhurst Park in August 2013.
Sunderland remain unbeaten in their 10 Premier League home games this season (W5 D5); in English top-flight history, only seven newly promoted sides have had a longer unbeaten home start to a campaign, most recently Ipswich Town in 1992-93 (11).
Over the last six Premier League matchdays, only West Ham United (1) have earned fewer points than Crystal Palace (2 – D2 L4); on the road they’ve lost their last two games, the Eagles last lost three in a row in February 2024 under Roy Hodgson.
Crystal Palace are without a goal in their last two Premier League games; not since Patrick Vieira’s final four league games in charge in February/March 2023 have the Eagles gone on a longer run in the competition without scoring.
After failing to score in just four of their first 14 Premier League games this season, Sunderland have since failed to score in four of their last seven matches. Since the start of December, the Black Cats have scored the fewest goals (4) and have the lowest xG total (6.6).
Crystal Palace have conceded 12 Premier League goals this season from set pieces (ex. penalties), only Bournemouth (14), Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United (all 13) have conceded more. Meanwhile, 38% (8/21) of Sunderland’s goals this season have come from set pieces (ex. penalties), only Leeds have a higher proportion (41% – 12/29).
Two of the top three goalkeepers in the Premier League this season for goals prevented could feature in this game in Sunderland’s Robin Roefs (5.1 – 21 goals conceded ex. own goals, 26.1 xGoT conceded) and Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson (3.9 – 23 goals conceded ex. own goals, 26.9 xGoT conceded).
Only Bruno Fernandes (30) has made more line-breaking passes leading to shots in the Premier League this season than Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton (23), while he’s also second for line-breaking passes behind the defence under high pressure (13) behind only Bruno Guimarães (20).
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored eight Premier League goals this season, however just one of those has come in his last eight appearances. Indeed, only David Brooks (-3.41) has underperformed his xG by a greater margin in the competition this term than Mateta’s -3.21 (8 goals, 11.21 xG).
