Regis Le Bris has urged his Sunderland team to take an aggressive approach to the end of the Premier League season, starting with their match against Fulham on Sunday.
The Black Cats are currently eleventh in the English top flight with twelve games remaining, twelve points above the relegation zone and just eight points behind Chelsea in fifth place.
However, Sunderland have lost four of their last six Premier League games (W2), as many as they lost in their first 20 this season (W7 D9).
Defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool in their last two games also mark the first time they have lost consecutive league games this season.
But with captain Granit
“We still have twelve games to go. So there are still 36 points to be won. I want to see the positive side,” said Le Bris.
“The next game is another chance to win three points. We know there are no easy games in this competition.”
“We talked about Burnley and Wolves. They are competitive and that is evident every weekend.”
“We are in our process and we want to remain aggressive, but we know it is a learning curve. Sometimes you go through difficult moments and you have to accept that because it is part of the journey.
“You learn through those experiences. You have to stay competitive from a mentality perspective.”
Granit Xhaka is back.
RLB’s injury update ahead of Fulham
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) February 20, 2026
Fulham are just two points behind Sunderland in 12th place but have failed to win their last three league matches.
The Cottagers won the reverse fixture 1-0 in November, and Marco Silva is keen to see his side showcase their quality in a tough away fixture.
“We need to be at our best level. We were the better team against them at the Cottage, but they are a solid side and it will be tough,” said the Fulham boss.
“We have to enjoy playing in these types of stadiums, it’s a test to see how capable we are in these types of environments.
“We want to win. Our ambition is to go to a difficult place and show quality. Fulham will be able to win the game at our best level.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sunderland – Granit Xhaka
Xhaka has more assists from boundary-breaking passes than any other player in the Premier League this season (four).
He has also made eight game-changing passes that have led to a goal this season (not all directly assisted by him), including a goal in the league.
Fulham – Raul Jimenez
Jimenez scored Fulham’s winner in the reverse fixture against Sunderland.
The only team he has scored against in both league games in a campaign for the Cottagers is Newcastle United last season.
MATCH PREDICTION – draw
Fulham are looking to complete the league double against Sunderland for the first time since the 2002-03 season, when the Black Cats were relegated from the Premier League.
Sunderland won their last home game against Fulham in December 2017 in the Championship, but are winless in their last five home games against Fulham in the Premier League (D3 L2).
However, Fulham have lost each of their last three Premier League games, conceding at least twice each time.
They could lose four in a row in a single season, conceding two or more goals for the first time since a run of nine between February and April 2019.
Despite conceding an average of almost fifteen shots per game, Sunderland have conceded the fifth fewest goals in the Premier League this season (30). Indeed, the Black Cats have the lowest success rate in the league in 2025-2026 (8%).
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Sunderland – 39.5%
Draw – 26.6%
Fulham – 33.9%
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