Sunderland

There are four games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Nottingham Forest v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Fulham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Tottenham v Arsenal (16:30 GMT) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

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Sunday's mid-table clash between Sunderland and Fulham at the Stadium of Light (14:00 GMT) brings together two sides experiencing slumps in otherwise solid seasons, both buoyed by progress to the FA Cup fifth round.

Sunderland's 1-0 defeat against Liverpool in their last league fixture was their first loss at home all season, having won seven of their previous 12. It was the longest unbeaten home start to a top-flight campaign by a promoted side since Nottingham Forest went the entire 1977-78 campaign without defeat.

Black Cats have stopped purring

Head coach Regis Le Bris made six changes for their cup success against Championship strugglers Oxford United and it will be interesting to see if the Frenchman thinks anyone he drafted in made a good case to start this game as he looks to arrest a decline in the Black Cats' form.

Since victory in the Tyne-Wear derby on 14 December, the Mackems' only league wins have come against Crystal Palace and relegation candidates Burnley, a run which has seen them drop from seventh in the table on New Year's Day to 11th.

Le Bris's side have lost four of their last six league games, as many as they had in their first 20 this season. Successive defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool marked the first time they've lost consecutive league games this term.

Chukwueze does it

Having been in the best form of their Premier League lives throughout December and January, Fulham are another side having a wobble, with three losses on the spin leaving them 12th in the table, one place and two points below Sunday's opponents.

Marco Silva's side have struggled on the road this season, with only the bottom two, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, having suffered more away defeats than Fulham's eight.

Most of the plaudits for the Cottagers' success this season have gone to Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez, who scored the winner in the reverse fixture in November. Kevin's recent contributions have also caught the eye, but there's another attacker adjusting to life in west London who shouldn't go unheralded.

Winger Samuel Chukwueze has endured a stop-start Fulham career since joining on loan from AC Milan in September, largely due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria.

Despite his limited time on the pitch, his contributions have been notable. Of all players to have played 500-plus minutes in the Premier League this season, only Erling Haaland is averaging a goal involvement more frequently than Chukwueze.

Fulham, who are aiming to complete the league double over Sunderland for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign, have a good recent record against promoted teams, although their 12-game unbeaten run in such fixtures came to an end with a 1-0 defeat at Leeds United in January.

Huzaifah Khan
BBC Sport journalist

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Fulham at the Stadium of Light (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Le Bris confirmed captain Granit Xhaka is back and available after training this week, but Bertrand Traore is out, though he could be back soon.

• He added that full-back Reinildo has picked up a knee injury and will be out for "three or four weeks" but will potentially be back for the derby with Newcastle on 22 March.

• On how important it is to have Xhaka back, Le Bris said: "It's better to play with Granit than without. [There are] more options for the starting 11 and the bench. I think the team is stronger, so for Granit we'll have to be progressive to respect the process and it's good because now we have three or four midfielders available and we'll have a fourth one."

• On having to leave out a player: "The competition is important in a group. It's important as well for the team because we can't play with only 11 players."

• On defender Trai Hume taking fewer throw-ins recently, Le Bris confirmed he has an "issue" with his hand and hopes he will be able to resume his throw-ins again soon.

• On a chance to get closer to 40 points, he said: "Yes, we have 12 games left, so 36 points available and I want to see the positive side. Next game is an opportunity to win three points. We know in this league, there are no easy games, never. We spoke about Burnley, for example, or Wolves that are still competitive and every weekend it shows it clearly."

• He added: "We want to stay ambitious but we know it's a learning curve. We know we have to stay positive. We have to stay competitive. "

• On facing Fulham: "They are a well-established Premier League team now with this ability with those patterns to play through you, through the pressure and they have good players. They have this ability to be clinical. Harry Wilson is in good form, but he is not the only one. They are strong and it will be a good test for us."

Hit play above to hear more from Le Bris or listen on BBC Sounds here

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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BBC Radio Newcastle commentator Nick Barnes has analysed and broken down the minutes for the recent Sunderland Fans Collective meeting.

Topics include where away fans are situated in the Stadium of Light, pre-season tour plans, and next season's replica shirts.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds

Gavin Henderson
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Sunday's game between Sunderland and Oxford United was far from an FA Cup classic, but it offered us a reminder of just how fortunate we are to have Luke O'Nien at our football club.

Luke has been written off more times than I have had hot dinners down the years - yet almost eight years since he signed when we were in League One, he's still here, and absolutely smashing it and proving people wrong.

Obviously, he's a lot older and wiser now, and has improved so much, but I'm not even sure Luke himself could have imagined back then that he'd still be playing for Sunderland all these years later as a Premier League footballer.

Opportunities have been few and far between for him this season because of the unbelievable form of some of the other players, but he's stayed focused, hasn't complained and trained hard every day so that when his chances do come, he's ready.

He won the man-of-the-match award for his performance against Oxford, and his physical tussle throughout with Will Lankshear was probably the highlight of an otherwise relatively uneventful game.

I imagine that there were a queue of Championship clubs desperate to take Luke off our hands in January, but he had absolutely no intention of leaving, which was a huge relief to hear as I think we'd be a far poorer club without him in that squad and on the training ground every day.

He's now in his 30s and, given the rate at which we're progressing, it's entirely possible his time with Sunderland will soon come to an end, so I think it's important that fans cherish every opportunity we get to see him stroll out on to the pitch in red and white.

Well in, Luke - top class.

Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report, external

Sunderland will try to sign a new striker this summer to replace 25-year-old French forward Wilson Isidor, who wants to leave the club. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini says an FA Cup run would be an opportunity to "reward the fans".

The Black Cats were drawn away at League One Port Vale or Bristol City of the Championship in the fifth round.

Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle: "They'll be very happy with that. There were a lot of Premier League teams in there.

"After what we've achieved in that first half of the season, carrying on in the FA Cup is ideal. It's an opportunity to reward the fans for their loyalty over the past few years.

"It's not a bad draw is it! You would expect us to put out a decent team for the chance of getting into the sixth round."

Listen to the full chat with Gabbiadini above or on on BBC Sounds here

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties in the order they were drawn.

• Fulham v Southampton

• Port Vale or Bristol City v Sunderland

• Newcastle United v Manchester City

• Leeds United v Norwich City

• Mansfield Town v Arsenal

• Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool

• Wrexham v Chelsea

• West Ham v Macclesfield or Brentford

The matches will be played over the weekend of 7 March.

Watch all the highlights and best video from this season's FA Cup

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland left-back Dennis Cirkin said Regis le Bris' side have ambitions of winning the FA Cup after reaching the fifth round.

The Black Cats are in the hat for Monday's draw after beating Championship side Oxford United 1-0 in the fourth round on Sunday.

"With the weather and everything, it was a proper Championship game, which I have missed," Cirkin told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"These cup games provide an opportunity for us. We want to get to the final and we want to win it."

Cirkin had only featured seven times this season before starting Sunday's game.

"I am happy to get the opportunities," he added. "I am staying confident and training really hard to get these opportunities."

"Quite a few of us are excited to play. I don't think you can underestimate the magic of the FA Cup."

Listen to the full interview with Cirkin below or on BBC Sounds here

Check out all Sunderland content on BBC Sounds

We asked for your views on Sunday's FA Cup fourth round win over Oxford United.

Here are some of your comments:

Wilf: A solid, professional performance despite many changes to team selection. If Sunderland had a proven goal merchant, the many chances created in the second half may have been converted into goals and with it a more convincing score line. A tricky match in awful conditions against a physically robust and competent Oxford side showed Sunderland have the mentality to win in difficult circumstances. Mundle and O'Nien were outstanding.

Stephen: We seem to struggle to get any momentum on wet pitches and pouring rain. It was never going to be a classic game of football but we did enough to win.

Dave: Solid and uneventful. We dominated the play away from home against an Oxford side that looked low on confidence and even lower on quality so the result is no shock. It's a one to forget but we're in the hat and can get back to league action.

Andrew: Comfortable second half and a comfortable win overall. Good minutes for Cirkin and O'Nien who played particularly well. Lack of open play goals remains a worry but at the back we remain solid. Liked the directness of the new winger.

Lee: Nice to win but the lack of a goal in open play again is a worry.

Image source, Getty Images

The 2025-26 FA Cup fifth-round draw will take place on Monday, 16 February at about 18:35 GMT.

It will be done before the fourth-round tie between Macclesfield Town - the lowest-ranked team left in the competition - and Brentford, with former England internationals Joe Cole and Karen Carney conducting the draw on TNT Sports.

Supporters can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 7 March.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

What are the ball numbers?

1. Liverpool

2. Fulham

3. Sunderland

4. Southampton

5. Wrexham

6. Arsenal

7. Chelsea

8. West Ham United

9. Mansfield Town

10. Norwich City

11. Port Vale or Bristol City

12. Wolverhampton Wanderers

13. Newcastle United

14. Manchester City

15. Macclesfield or Brentford

16. Leeds United

Jason Mohammed is joined by Paul Robinson and Leon Osman to bring all you the action and talking points from Sunday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Grimsby Town 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

• Birmingham City 1-1 Leeds United

• Oxford United 0-1 Sunderland

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris, speaking post-match: "No easy games. Oxford last season we struggled against them. Job done, good team spirit.

"Oxford went direct, second ball game which is always difficult to manage. When you find the opporutnity to score you do it and that is what we did. Oxford fought until the end, set-pieces and long throws we knew they were efficient."

On penalty decision: "You have to trust the referee otherwise you can't move forward. He did well, it was not an easy game to referee. It was balanced.

"We enjoy every game - Premier League or FA Cup. We try to do our best, it was enough today and we move forward."

Hear more from Le Bris below or on BBC Sounds here

Did you know?

• Sunderland have lost just one of their last 16 games against Oxford United across all competitions (W8 D7), a run which has now seen the Black Cats concede one or fewer goals on 15 occasions.

• Sunderland have now progressed from four of their last five FA Cup fourth round ties since 2012, as many times as across their prior 18 attempts combined between 1979 and 2010.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Sunderland's performance

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Image source, BBC Sport

There are eight changes for Oxford United as Matt Ingram, Will Vaulks, Brodie Spencer, Stanley Mills, Jack Currie, Will Lankshear, Jin Woo-jeon and Jamie Donley all start.

Oxford United XI: Ingram, Brown, Vaulks, Brannagan, Spencer, Mills, Currie, Lankshear, Jeon, Donley, Makosso

Subs: Cumming, Long, Konak, Placheta, Harris, Emakhu, Romeny, Roosken, McDonnell

Sunderland, meanwhile, make six changes.

Luke O'Nien, Dennis Cirkin, Lutsharel Geertruida, Romain Mundle, Chemsdine Talbi and Wilson Isidor all start.

Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, O'Nien, Mukiele, Cirkin, Geertruida, Diarra, Le Fée, Talbi, Mundle, Isidor

Subs: Ellborg, Whittaker, J. Jones, Mayenda, Rigg, Angulo, Sadiki, Brobbey, Ta Bi

Image source, BBC Sport

There are five ties in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Birmingham v Leeds (12:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio WM & BBC Radio Leeds

• Grimsby v Wolves (13:30) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Radio Humberside & BBC Radio WM

• Oxford United v Sunderland - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Oxford & BBC Radio Newcastle

• Stoke v Fulham - BBC Radio Stoke

• Arsenal v Wigan (16:30) - BBC Radio Manchester

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Birmingham v Leeds" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Oxford United v Sunderland", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Both of these teams got through the last round on penalties, with Oxford beating MK Dons and Sunderland overcoming Everton.

I don't see Sunderland needing a shootout this time, though. Oxford are pretty woeful at the moment and have just been spanked by Norwich - they are not coming back from that.

Regis le Bris will make changes but the Black Cats will still be far too strong.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nick Barnes
BBC Radio Newcastle Sunderland commentator

Since the arrival of Florent Ghisolfi as director of football in the summer of 2025 the departure of Kristjaan Speakman, effectively doubling up as sporting director, is arguably not a great surprise.

He leaves a fabulous legacy though.

When he arrived in December 2020 the club were languishing in League One for a third consecutive season amidst all the problems associated with covid. Speakman oversaw the appointments of Alex Neil and Regis le Bris to engineer Sunderland's return to the Championship and then to top-flight football where most would agree Sunderland deserve to be.

Image source, Getty Images

The journey, he would be the first to admit, has at times been very difficult. The catastrophic appointment of Michael Beale following the sacking of the popular Tony Mowbray was one of those difficult times, but overall the recruitment and the rebuilding of the team and the club's leadership structure has been outstanding.

Speakman speaks proudly and rightly of his achievements at the club.

As he says, he has re-established "a team built on the region's identity, creating a deep connection with its people".

Find Sunderland's audio feed on BBC Sounds

Tyrese King
BBC Sport journalist

Sunderland boss Regis le Bris has been speaking to the media before Sunday's FA Cup game against Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team selection: "We will probably adjust the squad, but we want to go strong. We respect the competition."

• On facing Oxford United in the FA Cup for the first time since their 2-0 defeat in the Championship last season: "One of the most iconic competitions in English football, so just like how we did against Everton we want to go strong and for the context, the last game we had [against Oxford United] is a reminder that the Championship is tough."

• He added: "Even if they are struggling in the league, we expect a tough game, especially in a competition like this, so we will have to be a strong force to be the winner of the game."

• The Black Cats boss is "not surprised" that January signing Nilson Angulo settled in so quickly. He said: "When we decided to start with him [against Liverpool] it was clear he was ready because of his background. He played a lot of football in Europe so he has big experience. After that, however, it is about his connections with his team-mates. He was brave, he worked hard and I think he will improve in his next fixture."

• On having a cup run or focusing on a high Premier League finish: "The schedule won't be too busy during the second half of the season so it's possible to combine both. Our attention is still in the league to be clear. Our target is to reach around 40 points, because the race will be intense."

• Responding to the news that sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has left the club, Le Bris said: "I think Kristjan was a huge contributor to the club's development from League One to the Premier League now. He deserves huge respect."

• He added: "Personally it was really important for me, especially in the beginning for my integration, because it was a new league and new language, new players and new club and he helped me a lot."

Hear more from Le Bris below or on BBC Sounds here

Listen to live commentary of Oxford United v Sunderland at 14:00 on Sunday on BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Sounds

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Sunderland? Get in touch and we'll put it to our experts

Image source, Getty Images

Kristjaan Speakman has left his role as Sunderland's sporting director.

The club said Speakman "led a comprehensive rebuild" and restored "competitive momentum" since joining in December 2020.

Florent Ghisolfi - the club's director of football - will continue controlling all football operations.

Chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus said: "Kristjaan has made an important contribution to Sunderland AFC during a period of significant transition and growth, helping to rebuild the club and restore its place in the Premier League.

"Strong foundations have been established throughout our football operations over the past five years, and that phase of redevelopment is now complete. As we look to the future, our focus is on building from that position of strength with clarity of direction and sustained progress. We are grateful for Kristjaan's commitment and professionalism and wish him every success for the future."

BBC Radio Newcastle's Nick Barnes explained: "I don't think this will come as a huge surprise. I think once Ghisolfi arrived in the summer, people wondered how that relationship would work out. With all the business in the summer - 14 signings - the club has plateaued out in once sense in terms of the amount of work two people could do.

"Speakman has played a fundamentally big, big role in shaping the club now and moving forwards form where they were in League One to now the Premier League. I think he has to be applauded.

"I think the board has taken the decision that the future of the club is in Ghisolfi's hands with his experience across Europe and around the world."

Listen to Nick discuss Speakman's exit

Image source, Getty Images

"No-one will change my mind that Trai Hume is not a midfielder. Not a midfielder at all. Part of the game against Liverpool, he was wandering about like he's lost."

Sunderland fan Arthur spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle after the Black Cats lost 1-0 to Liverpool on Wednesday, as he put the team's first home defeat of the season partly down to captain Hume being played out of position.

However, former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini believes there is compromise needed for a player like Hume and supporters need to have some reflection on the season they've had.

"It's a difficult one because I agree," Gabbiadini replied to Arthur.

"When you look at the team and the set-up, at times he's pushing inside and in the middle of the park but obviously when they're in possession, he's dropping back into more of a defensive role. So what would you do?

"Can you play someone like [Romaine] Mundle from the start, but then he's not as defensive so it's a compromise really.

"It's giving us five defenders when we're defending but when we're attacking, he's becoming more of a midfielder but he's not got the composure that a more technical player has. He's got a lot of heart and desire.

"We've lost two games on the trot for the first time in two years and we're all coming out saying 'this is wrong' and 'that is wrong' but, we played Liverpool - the champions. We can't forget that. It's all a big step for us still."

Listen to the whole debate on BBC Sounds

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Oxford United can put their Championship struggles to one side on Sunday as they try to cause an FA Cup upset at home to Premier League Sunderland.

The U's have failed to score in any of their past five home games, last finding the net in a 2-1 Championship win over Southampton on Boxing Day.

• This is the third FA Cup tie between Oxford and Sunderland – the U's won 2-0 in a third round replay in 1988-89, while the Black Cats won 3-2 in the fourth round in 1991-92, eventually reaching the final.

• Sunderland lost their last meeting with Oxford last April in the Championship but they have never lost consecutive games against the U's in all competitions.

• Oxford United are hoping to reach the FA Cup fifth round for just the second time this century, previously doing so in 2016-17. The U's have been eliminated in 10 of their past 12 fourth round ties.

• This is only Sunderland's second FA Cup fourth round tie in the past 11 seasons – they were knocked out by Fulham in 2022-23 at this stage. They last reached the fifth round in the 2014-15 campaign.

• Oxford have been eliminated in eight of their past nine FA Cup ties against Premier League opponents, progressing only against Swansea City in 2015-16 in this run, beating them 3-2 in the third round.