Sunderland's paradox - San Siro trip amid relegation battle — SkimNews
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- Sunderland lost 3-1 to Coventry City on Saturday and remain rock bottom of the Premier League after nine games, with six defeats, two draws and no league win since beating Fulham on 30 August.
- Sunderland are ninth in the Europa League table with two wins and a draw from three games, kept out of the top eight and a direct passage to the last-16 stage by goal difference alone, and have conceded just two goals in Europe.
- Brentford were beaten 3-2 by Sunderland in the Carabao Cup midweek, setting up a quarter-final against Crystal Palace, while the Black Cats have collected only one point in three league games following European outings this season.
- Dan Ballard has been absent with a hamstring injury since September's international break, leaving a Sunderland defence that has conceded 17 goals in nine league games — a total that took them 15 matches to reach last season, when only champions Arsenal, Manchester City and Brighton had a meaner back line.
- Sunderland have scored just seven goals in nine matches, with only second-bottom Nottingham Forest managing fewer, after finishing last term with 42 goals and a negative goal difference, when only relegated Burnley and Wolves had a lower xG difference.
- Regis le Bris called the Coventry defeat "not a question of luck, it's a question of us", pointing to seven errors that have led to goals conceded — including Luke O'Nien losing possession to Taiwo Awoniyi for Coventry's second — while captain Granit Xhaka said "so many mistakes".
- AC Milan await Sunderland on 10 December, but the Black Cats first face Chelsea (home), Aston Villa (away), Tottenham (home), Liverpool (away) and Newcastle (away), with home Europa League games against Dinamo Zagreb and Jagiellonia Bialystok mixed in and Nottingham Forest three days after the San Siro date.
Why it matters: Sunderland's Europa League record — two wins, one draw and only two goals conceded in three games — sits uneasily beside a league record of six defeats in nine and one point in three matches after European outings, with Chelsea, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle all scheduled before the AC Milan trip on 10 December.
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