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It's the first Premier League weekend of April, and we have several different races to be determined! From relegation, European qualification, and actual title aspirations, we are getting into the nitty-gritty of the league, as today's matches won't be any different.

We start things off at the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland host Tottenham Hotspur -- now under new manager Roberto De Zerbi -- who desperately need to win to climb out of the relegation zone. And in our match of the day, we have Chelsea -- looking to qualify for the UEFA Champions League -- hosting Manchester City, fresh from beating Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup and also looking to compete for the Premier League title until the very end.

Enjoy all the updates from today's matches!

Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge of Tottenham ended in defeat after they were beaten 1-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The Italian took over from Igor Tudor, who left North London last month, and Spurs entered the contest in the Premier League relegation zone after West Ham beat Wolves on Friday.

An open first half saw Spurs have a penalty decision overturned in the 21st minute and both teams enjoy opportunities, with Brian Brobbey, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke all going close.

However, Sunderland took the lead 11 minutes into the second half through Nordi Mukiele's deflected strike, which proved to be enough as Regis Le Bris' side clinched back-to-back league wins.

Defeat leaves Spurs languishing two points adrift in the drop zone with six games left to play, still searching for their first Premier League win of 2026.

De Zerbi gave a start to goalkeeper Antonín Kinsky, who had not appeared since his 17-minute nightmare in the Champions League defeat to Atlético Madrid last month.

It was one of five changes the former Brighton boss made from Spurs' last outing against Nottingham Forest, but he was not able to oversee an instant improvement.

Pedro Porro's early effort was saved by Robin Roefs and Spurs threatened again when Randal Kolo Muani played Richarlison in, but the forward had his meek shot held by the Sunderland goalkeeper.

At the other end, Cristian Romero had to make an important intervention from a Sunderland attack and Granit Xhaka's in-swinging delivery was tipped over the crossbar by Kinsky from the resulting corner.

Kinsky made a brave stop to deny Brobbey after he had been found by Enzo Le Fée, and the Netherlands striker nodded over from his next opportunity.

Spurs were awarded a penalty in the 21st minute when Kolo Muani was ruled to have been fouled in the area, but following a VAR consultation, referee Rob Jones overturned his original decision as Omar Alderete clearly won the ball.

The chances continued to come as Solanke's attempt was taken by Roefs before Mukiele nodded wide from a Le Fée free kick and Xhaka's vicious strike from the edge of the area whistled past the post.

In first-half stoppage time, Brobbey was denied again by a solid save from Kinsky, and Roefs made a crucial stop at the opposite end from Solanke.

Luke O'Nien made an important intervention to deny Richarlison early in the second half, and the Spurs forward then had a low effort held by Roefs.

But Sunderland opened the scoring in the 61st minute when Mukiele weaved from the right flank toward the outside of the box, and his strike deflected off Micky van de Ven's foot to leave the wrong-footed Kinsky with no chance.

De Zerbi made a triple substitution with Mathys Tel, João Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr introduced just before a worrying moment saw Romero and Kinsky collide.

Following a lengthy stoppage, the Spurs goalkeeper had a bandage wrapped around his head and was able to continue, but a tearful Romero was replaced by Kevin Danso.

Spurs had 11 minutes of added time to salvage a point, but despite Porro being denied twice by Roefs -- having both a free kick and vicious strike pushed over the bar -- Spurs could not avoid a 16th league loss.

Tottenham Hotspur start life under Roberto de Zerbi in the relegation zone, and they'll hope to climb out of it with a win against a Sunderland side looking for a strong finish to a season they started so well. You can follow all the updates live right here on our blog (which will appear after this short preview)

In his first press conference, Roberto de Zerbi -- who signed a five-year contract with no relegation clause said, "I have a big responsibility. For me, Tottenham, especially in this moment, is maybe the most important challenge in my career." West Ham's thumping win over Wolves on Friday night has underlined the urgent nature of that responsibility for that win dragged the Hammers over their London rivals and pulled Spurs into 18th on the table.

It will be a big challenge, and then some, for de Zerbi: whose first task will now be to redress a 13-game winless streak (D5, L8), the club's worst run in 91 years. He can seek refuge in history, though. Sunderland have endured a poor recent record against Tottenham in the top-flight and they are winless in 15 previous matches (D5, L10) since a 3-1 home victory in April 2010.

But this is an all-new Sunderland side, and they've defied everyone's expectations so far. They started the season like a house on fire, flirting with the European spots, but even a recent dip won't have brought the mood down. Especially since they went into the international break on the back of a sensational derby win over Newcastle United. With the break allowing a number of injured players time to recuperate and Granit Xhaka returning to full fitness, Spurs will be up against it at a pumped-up Stadium of Light.

Can de Zerbi work his magic on debut? Will Regis Le Bris and his Black Cats prove too tough a nut to crack? We'll find out soon enough.

West Ham United coach Nuno Espirito Santo said his side took a "big step" toward Premier League survival with a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday, which dropped Tottenham Hotspur into the Premier League relegation zone.

The result took took West Ham out of the drop zone for the first time since December and left their London rivals in the bottom three for the first time this season.

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West Ham had looked set for the Championship after losing at home to Nottingham Forest in January. Defeat to their relegation rivals left them winless in 10 and seven points adrift of safety, but five victories in the 11 games since, together with Spurs' apparent free fall, have put a radically different complexion on the picture at the bottom.

"We are extremely happy," Nuno said. "All of us deserve an evening like this, especially our fans. London Stadium was amazing; it was bouncing with energy even in the hard parts when the game was tough.

"I realise there is still a lot of work to be done yet. We made a big step today, which was important for us, but nothing has changed."

Valentín Castellanos scored twice in three minutes midway through the second half after Konstantinos Mavropanos put the Hammers 1-0 up with a header just before halftime.

Konstantinos completed the scoring seven minutes from time with an acrobatic volley from a corner kick.

Wolves remained at the bottom of the league and are almost certain to be relegated.

The result threw West Ham's revival under Nuno into sharp focus. The reverse fixture at Molineux in January was arguably the lowest point of the team's season as they went down 3-0 to become the first team to lose to Rob Edwards' side.

Defeat to Nottingham Forest followed but since then the team have not looked back.

"I hope [the best result] is still in front of us," said Nuno. "That afternoon was tough at Wolves for everybody at the club. Today we changed the dynamic."

Tottenham still have a game in hand over West Ham in the battle to beat the drop but are now facing the unthinkable prospect of dropping into England's second tier for the first time since 1977.

It means new Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi will begin his tenure away to Sunderland on Sunday looking upwards at the dotted line.

The Associated Press and PA contributed to this report.

Roberto de Zerbi has said he will be Tottenham head coach "no matter what" next season and backed the team to stay in the Premier League.

The 46-year-old signed a five-year contract to succeed Igor Tudor but his initial reluctance to take the job immediately -- preferring to wait until the summer before changing his stance -- has raised concerns De Zerbi could walk away if Tottenham are relegated.

They currently sit just one place and one point above the bottom three ahead of Sunday's trip to Sunderland.

"I believe to keep [Spurs] in the Premier League, first of all," he said on Friday. "It has to be clear for everyone. I want to work in the Premier League and I think I deserve to work in the Premier League.

"But the main sense of my work is more than the league.

"Anyway, if I sign my contract in April I have to be ready to stay no matter what in the next season. So I want to stay focused on Sunderland and the other six games again. But my idea is very clear."

De Zerbi started work last week and explained why he was confident Spurs would avoid the drop:

"I'm sure about the level of the players because many players in the past I was very, very close to bringing them to my former teams," De Zerbi, who had considered signing Conor Gallagher and Xavi Simons previously, said.

"They are working very well. I am not better than [ex-head coaches] Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor because I consider them very good coaches. I try to bring my style, myself, my character, my personality, my passion, first of all to show their qualities because they have a lot of qualities and then to achieve our target because the most important part now is our target.

"The fans have to be happy because all players are good guys, they are suffering this difficult situation. I want to see it in the game because during the week it is easier. But the voice inside of the pitch is changing. I observed them at the beginning of my time last week and now I am more positive for sure."

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De Zerbi also revealed Guglielmo Vicario is unavailable to face Sunderland as he continues to recover from a hernia operation, meaning Antonín Kinsky will be in goal for the first time since he was substituted after just 17 minutes of Spurs' 5-2 defeat at Atlético Madrid last month.

Mohammed Kudus is also out after suffering a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury. De Zerbi refused to confirm if the winger will need surgery or how long he will be out for but added:

"Kudus was in my head a crucial player, especially for the position but we have to look forward. "We have a lot of very good attackers but we have to help them and put them in the very best position."

Only seven games to play for and all seven are of huge importance for Tottenham who are languishing 17th and trying to avoid relegation.

On Sunday, Tottenham head to Sunderland, who have been highly impressive this season and are almost certain to stay up after coming to the Premier League this season.

One team is trying to finish in the top half while the other desperately needs three points. Here's everything you need to know about the match.

How to watch

The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK, NBC in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live coverage here.

Key Details

Kick-off time: Sunday, April 12, at 2 p.m. BST (9 a.m. ET; 6:30 p.m. IST; and 11 p.m. AEST)

Venue: Stadium of Light, Sunderland

Referee: Rob Jones

VAR: James Bell

Injury News

Sunderland

Robin Roefs - hamstring injury, DOUBT

Danny Ballard - hamstring injury, DOUBT

Bertrand Traoré - knee injury, OUT

Jocelin Ta Bi - knock, OUT

Romaine Mundle - hamstring injury, OUT

Tottenham

Yves Bissouma - muscle injury, DOUBT

Ben Davies - ankle injury, OUT

Dejan Kulusevski - knee injury, OUT

James Maddison - ACL, OUT

Rodrigo Bentancur - hamstring, OUT

Mohammed Kudus - muscle injury, OUT

Wilson Odobert - ACL, OUT

Mathys Tel - fitness, DOUBT

Pape Matar Sarr - shoulder injury, DOUBT

Talking Points

De Zerbi takes charge and his first objective is clear

Spurs have a new head coach in Roberto De Zerbi who is on a five-year deal with long-term ambitions. However, his first task is pretty clear cut. Avoid relegation at all costs. And he has seven matches to do that.

Seven matches are still a handful, and anything is possible in this league, be it about the relegation battle or the title race. De Zerbi, though, knows that there is barely any scope for more losses. Spurs are 17th at the moment after 31 matches, just one above West Ham who could move out of the relegation zone if they beat Wolves later on Saturday, putting more pressure on the new head coach.

After a week with his new squad, De Zerbi will be keen to see his methods play out on the field. More importantly though, the present moment is not about style but about getting the win. Playing Sunderland away from home is a difficult prospect and De Zerbi cannot afford more losses.

How will De Zerbi line up the team?

Tottenham's season has been ravaged by injuries, with the latest one being Mohammed Kudus, who was already missing since January, suffering a fresh injury scare that might rule him out for the rest of the season. There are also doubts about the fitness of Mathys Tel, Guglielmo Vicario and Pape Matar Sarr.

De Zerbi's preferred formation is 4-2-3-1. In absence of Vicario, Antonín Kinsky will play for the first time since his 17th-minute substitution in the Champions League game against Atlético Madrid. Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven and Destiny Udogie could be the four at the back with Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, who has been in good form, being the two midfielders. Xavi Simmons could play a big role under De Zerbi as a 10 instead of a winger. If Tel can't make it, Randal Kolo Muani could start from right and Richarlison on the other wing with Dominic Solanke being the lone striker up front.

Sunderland need their home form back

One of the biggest strengths of Sunderland this season has been their home form. After getting promoted, they started the Premier League season with 12 games unbeaten at the Stadium of Light. They made their home stadium a fortress where even teams like Arsenal and Manchester City suffered.

That home dominance though fell apart in February. They suffered defeats against Liverpool, Fulham and Brighton which has pushed them to 11th in the standings. After Spurs, they have a few more tough fixtures at home against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. Sunderland would love to secure the points against Spurs and get the home form back so they can push to play in European competitions next season.

Xhaka outstanding, but other players also deserve credit

No doubt Grant Xhaka is one of the signings of the season. The experienced midfielder came in, instantly adding a layer of physicality in the midfield as well as helping with his creativity on the ball. Xhaka's transfer has been influential but Sunderland is no one man team.

The likes of Noah Sadiki, Brian Brobbey, Omar Alderete, Nordi Mukiele and Robin Roefs came in during the summer and have been consistently solid. It's true that Sunderland spent money to overhaul the squad after getting promoted, but the money has been spent well.

Then there are the likes of Luke O'Nien, Trai Hume, and Dan Ballard who have been with the club for a few years and have upped their levels to match the standards in the Premier League. A big credit should also go to head coach Régis Le Bris for moulding the team to suit the Premier League's high demands.

Unlike in the past few seasons where we've seen promoted sides going straight back down, Sunderland are here to stay. With seven games to go, they will aim to finish as high as possible.

What do the numbers say?

Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games against Sunderland (W10, D5) since a 3-1 loss in April 2010.

Tottenham remain winless in 13 Premier League games (D5, L8). Only once in their league history have they had a longer run without victory --16 matches from December 1934 to April 1935.

Chemsdine Talbi has scored four Premier League goals this season. Only player to score more while aged 20 or younger in a single campaign in the competition for Sunderland is Danny Welbeck in 2010-11 (6).

Sunderland have won two of their last three Premier League games (L1), as many as their previous 12 beforehand (W2, D5, L5), and could win back-to-back league matches for only the second time this season, last doing so in October.

Tottenham Hotspur winger Mohammed Kudus has suffered an injury setback and could require surgery, the Premier League club said Thursday.

Kudus has been sidelined since Jan. 4 due to a quad injury, but had been set to return to training during the March international break.

However, new Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi has been dealt an early blow with Kudus' anticipated availability for the final seven games of the campaign now in doubt.

"We can confirm that Mohammed Kudus has suffered a setback in his return from injury," Tottenham said in a statement.

"The Ghana international forward suffered a significant quad injury during our Premier League fixture against Sunderland in January.

"He had returned to team training during the past week, however will now require further specialist review and, potentially, surgery."

With Kudus' nation Ghana involved in this summer's World Cup, the former West Ham attacker also faces a race against time to feature in the tournament in America.

Kudus has played 26 times for Tottenham since a £55 million move in July and started nine games in a row before he suffered his initial quad injury against Sunderland.

PA contributed to this report.

Tottenham have confirmed that head coach Roberto De Zerbi has brought two members of staff with him, but former AC Milan defender Alessandro Nesta has not been included.

The club announced on Wednesday that Marcattilio Marcattilii and Marcello Quinto have joined as fitness coach and senior professional development phase coach respectively.

There had been speculation that World Cup winner Nesta and ex-Spurs midfielder Sandro may be part of De Zerbi's backroom staff.

Nesta was appointed as head coach of Monza in 2024 in Serie A, but the club was relegated at the end of last season.

He has also managed at Miami FC, Perugia, Frosinone and Reggiana.

Marcattilii and De Zerbi have spent a number of years together, first working with him at Italian outfit Foggia in 2015.

Meanwhile, Quinto reunites with the Italian at Tottenham after they worked together over the past three years at Brighton and Marseille.

Spurs have confirmed assistant Bruno Saltor, who joined last month after the arrival of Igor Tudor, will remain alongside Andreas Georgson, Cameron Campbell and Fabian Otte, who all joined in the summer.

Dean Brill and Stuart Lewis, who have previously supported the first team this season after spells in Tottenham's youth coaching set up, will continue in those roles.

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De Zerbi was announced as the team's new manager on a five-year deal at the start of this month to try and lift the team out of the relegation battle.

They currently sit 17th in the Premier League, just one point above the bottom three.

De Zerbi is the third manager this season to take charge after Thomas Frank was sacked after eight months.

Tudor was then appointed interim head coach before leaving after seven matches, managing only one win.

Information from PA contributed to this report.

Roberto De Zerbi has apologised to Tottenham Hotspur fans who were offended by his past comments about Mason Greenwood during his time as Marseille head coach, insisting he would never intentionally downplay the issue of violence against women.

De Zerbi faced opposition from multiple Tottenham supporters' groups in the days before his appointment as manager on Tuesday, due to his supportive remarks about former Manchester United forward Greenwood during their time together at Marseille.

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Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior, and assault after images and videos were posted online.

British prosecutors dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to a "combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses" and due to "no realistic prospect of conviction."

In his first interview as Tottenham manager, conducted with the club's in-house media on Thursday, De Zerbi addressed a question regarding his comments about Greenwood, answering in his native Italian "because I want to be clear."

"I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women, or violence against anyone more broadly," De Zerbi said. "In my life, I've always stood up for those who are more vulnerable, more fragile.

"I've consistently fought and taken a stand to be on the side of those who are most at risk. Those of you who know me well will know that I'm not the kind of person who makes compromises to win more games or to win an extra title.

"I'm sorry if I offended anyone's feelings with this subject matter. I have a daughter and I'm very sensitive to these things, and I always have been.

"I hope that over time people will get to know me better and will understand at that moment I didn't mean to take a stance."

During their time together at Marseille, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a "good guy" who "paid dearly for what happened," adding: "I regret what happened in his life because I know someone different from what's being described, especially in England."

After speculation around De Zerbi intensified last week, Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach posted "No to De Zerbi" statements, but the Italian was subsequently appointed.

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust immediately stated they had "serious and far-reaching concerns" with De Zerbi being hired.

Spurs turned to De Zerbi after interim head coach Igor Tudor was sacked on Sunday with the Premier League outfit in 17th position and only one point above the relegation zone after a disastrous campaign.

De Zerbi promised to be in charge next season even if they are in the Championship.

"I signed five years of contract because, for me, it is a big challenge and I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what," he said.

"It's a difficult moment for everyone at Tottenham but I think we have the right qualities to come out of this moment.

"I believe in the players. I think we have to remember who we are and who the players are, because we have very big players and we have to work on their confidence and qualities."

PA and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Roberto De Zerbi has delivered his first public comments as the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, saying he wants to stay at the "big club" for a "long time."

De Zerbi was confirmed as the new Spurs head coach on Tuesday on a five-year deal, with his first priority lifting the side out of a relegation battle.

On Wednesday -- alongside a first picture of the Italian in Tottenham colours -- he spoke as the new boss for the first time.

"Hello to all the Tottenham fans. I'm very happy to stay here with you," he said.

"For me, it's an honour and [I'm] very proud to be your coach. I want to give my best. I want to stay for a long time in this big club. See you soon."

The Spurs players on international duty are scheduled to return to training at Hotspur Way on Friday and De Zerbi will have just over a week to work with his squad ahead of taking charge in his first game at Sunderland on April 12.

De Zerbi has an immediate battle on his hands, with just seven games to go and Spurs sitting 17th in the Premier League table -- just one point above the bottom three.

On Wednesday, he was dealt another blow to an already injury-ravaged squad as midfielder Pape Sarr was left out of Senegal's game against Gambia due to a shoulder problem, according to Senegalese media.

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