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...
17. Sub - Jaydon Jones
With Granit Xhaka still absent, Jones will likely share the midfield anchor role with Browne. Tom Proctor is another contender after impressing so far, though he generally plays further forward. | Chris Fryatt, Echo
18. Sub - Noah Sadiki
Sadiki linked up with his team mates in the US earlier this week and should get his first game time of pre-season here. | Sunderland AFC
19. Sub - Habib Diarra
Diarra began his pre-season programme earlier this week and with competition for places set to be significant this season he'll want to hit the ground running with some second-half minutes here. | Getty Images
20. Sub - Simon Adingra
Adingra still seems likely to leave the club this summer but with no deal close, he's joined his team mates in the US and will likely get some second half minutes in this one. | AFP via Getty Images