Sunderland’s 2026/27 campaign officially begins on Saturday afternoon as the Black Cats face York City in their opening pre-season friendly at the LNER Community Stadium.
It’s a busy day for the Black Cats, with an academy side also facing South Shields earlier in the day. Many of the club’s best young players will be with Régis Le Bris’s group, having stepped up in training over the last fortnight the absence of the twelve players who represented their nation at the FIFA World Cup.
It has already been confirmed that Thomas Meunier will not be making his debut having become the club’s first summer signing earlier this week, with the full back taking a break following his World Cup commitments. So who can supporters expect to see in action on Saturday afternoon? While it’s not clear exactly how Le Bris will manage his group over the 90 minutes we have a good idea who is likely to be involved, so here’s our predicted squad...
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5. LB - Reinildo
Reinildo will start again as he builds valuable match fitness ahead of the new campaign. Sunderland are working to add competition in his possession but he's the man with the jersey for now. | Getty Images
6. RM - Trai Hume
With Jocelin Ta Bi still unable to feature due to a visa issue, Hume is likely to reprise his role in front of Mukiele. | Getty Images
7. CM - Alan Browne
Browne has interest from a large number of Championship clubs but has an important role to play for the time being with Granit Xhaka still absent following his World Cup campaign. | Getty Images
8. CM - Chris Rigg
Is making a really strong impression so far in pre season and will hope to back that up against Leeds. | AFP via Getty Images