Phil Smith: My honest reaction to Sunderland's fixture list and the challenge ahead

On fixture release day, you're never far from being reminded that each team has to play everyone else.

And maybe in a sport where opinions were formed and decisions made on an entirely rational basis, the order of who you play when wouldn't matter. Except that isn't really the case with football, is it? Granted, Sunderland have more stable foundations than most these days, unlikely to be thrown off course by a tricky start or get overly carried away by a good one.

Even so, the early weeks of a season can set the tone and to that end, there's absolutely no getting past the fact that Sunderland have in relative terms been handed an opportunity as they return to the Premier League following an eight-year absence. They don't play a team who finished in the top eight last season until the fifth game on September 20th, and don't face a team from the traditional big six (though how much that term still holds relevance is up for debate) until October.

The plan for Sunderland now is clear: Keep the core of the team from last season in place, add some top-tier quality and prepare well - giving themselves the best possible chance of springing some early surprises and getting points on the board. The flipside to this is equally obvious, start slowly and the pressure will rise quickly as the fixtures get more daunting. December in particular has the capacity to be brutal: Sunderland face Liverpool and Manchester City away back-to-back, then comes the first derby of the season and at the end of the month another game against Pep Guardiola's side for good measure.

It's also perhaps a little sobering to consider the reality of Sunderland's 'easier' start. West Ham United endured a difficult first season without David Moyes last time out but they still finished 18 points clear of Ipswich Town and won the Europa Conference League just two years ago. Burnley are a fellow promoted side and the two league games last season showed Sunderland have nothing to fear from them, but they finished 24 points ahead of the Black Cats last time out. Brentford have lost Thomas Frank to Spurs and some key players could follow, but this is a side that finished 10th last season. Looking through the fixture list this morning highlighted just how much the division has changed since Sunderland were last in it. At that stage, teams winning promotion could look at a number of teams at risk of dropping down (let's be honest, Sunderland would have been top of that list). Eight years on, the midtable clubs of the Premier League have never been smarter, richer or better run. You're looking for clubs who could implode and it's hard to identify obvious candidates. Make no mistake, Sunderland's task this season is enormous.

For now fans can enjoy the excitement and pride that comes with being back in the top tier - revelling in new away days and the prospect of taking on some of the very best teams in the word. There are good reasons to think that Sunderland can make an impression given their still rapidly developing young squad, their strong financial position heading into the transfer window and their head coach who has proven himself to be both adept and versatile tactically.

They have a real opportunity to hit the ground running, but it's important that expectations aren't raised too high, too quickly.

Sunderland's 2025/26 Premier League fixture list

August

16 – West Ham United (H)

23 – Burnley (A)

30 – Brentford (H)

September

13 – Crystal Palace (A)

20 – Aston Villa (H)

27 – Nottingham Forest (A)

October

4 – Manchester United (A)

18 – Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)

25 – Chelsea (A)

November

1 – Everton (H)

8 – Arsenal (H)

22 – Fulham (A)

29 – A.F.C. Bournemouth (H)

December

3 – Liverpool (A)

6 – Manchester City (A)

13 – Newcastle United (H)

20 – Brighton & Hove Albion (A)

27 – Leeds United (H)

30 – Manchester City (H)

January

3 – Tottenham Hotspur (A)

7 – Brentford (A)

17 – Crystal Palace (H)

24 – West Ham United (A)

31 – Burnley (H)

February

7 – Arsenal (A)

11 – Liverpool (H)

21 – Fulham (H)

28 – A.F.C. Bournemouth (A)

March

4 – Leeds United (A)

14 – Brighton & Hove Albion (H)

21 – Newcastle United (A)

April

11 – Tottenham Hotspur (H)

18 – Aston Villa (A)

25 – Nottingham Forest (H)

May

2 – Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)

9 – Manchester United (H)

17 – Everton (A)

24 – Chelsea (H)

Your next Sunderland read: Kristjaan Speakman reveals Sunderland transfer talks in interesting update