Can Sunderland defy the Premier League doubters again?

 

Sunderland were one of the stories of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

Promoted from the Championship through the play-offs in May 2025, the Black Cats marked their return to the top flight after an eight-year absence with a remarkable campaign.

Tipped for relegation by many, Sunderland ended the campaign in seventh to qualify for Europe for the first time since 1973.

So why - outside newly promoted teams Hull City, Coventry and Ipswich - are Sunderland once again among the bookmakers' favourites for the drop?

There are three main reasons their doubters can point to: their poor underlying numbers last season, the 'second-season syndrome' for promoted sides and a European campaign to contend with.

But are those reasons justified?