Roberto De Zerbi will be looking to get off to the perfect start as our new Head Coach when our Premier League campaign resumes with a trip to Sunderland on Sunday (kick-off 2pm UK).
The 46-year-old joined us on a long-term deal on 31 March and his first match in charge sees us face a Black Cats side we have a strong record against in the top flight.
Our first home game in 2026 began with a 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Sunderland on 4 January - Ben Davies on target before Brian Brobbey's equaliser 10 minutes from time - to extend our unbeaten run in this fixture to 15 matches (W10, D5) since a 3-1 defeat in April, 2010.
This weekend sees us journey to the Stadium of Light in over nine years and we have come away unscathed in our previous seven visits to that ground (W4 D3), with the last encounter ending goalless in January, 2017.
Regis Le Bris' side have impressed on their Premier League return and occupy 11th place heading into the latest round of fixtures. Their 12-game unbeaten run at home this season was ended by a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on 11 February and have since lost three on the spin there, although they have won their last two away games including a 2-1 win at rivals Newcastle United last time out.
As Roberto looks to make a winning start to his tenure, the Italian does bring an impressive track record from his previous clubs where he has won his first league game at three of his last four clubs (Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille), with Brighton the only exception (3-3 vs Liverpool).