The Black Cats are currently fifth in League One heading into a busy Christmas period after a draw against Oxford United at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
Sunderland are two points off the promotion places, with Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic occupying the top two spots at the moment.
But how is the third tier predicted to look come the end of the season based on the results so far?
Here, we take a look at how the data experts say that the table will look at the end of the season:
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5. Fleetwood Town - 20th
Fleetwood are predicted to finish 20th in League One on 50 points by data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Pete Norton
6. Cambridge United - 19th
Cambridge United are predicted to finish 19th in League One on 51 points by data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Pete Norton
7. Shrewsbury Town - 18th
Shrewsbury Town are predicted to finish 18th in League One on 52 points by data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Naomi Baker
8. AFC Wimbledon - 17th
AFC Wimbledon are predicted to finish 17th in League One on 54 points by data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Alex Davidson