Bournemouth seek first league win against relegation rivals Sunderland

Six Premier League matches have brought Bournemouth three points and no wins, leaving Sunday's meeting with Sunderland as an early opportunity to gain ground on a relegation rival. The visitors sit one place and one point above them, with both clubs inside the bottom three.

Bournemouth are 19th, two points from safety; Sunderland are 18th, one point short. Their European victories offer a more positive backdrop, but neither side has won any of its last four league matches.

Both teams have made substantial changes for the meeting at the Vitality Stadium: Bournemouth make five and Sunderland seven. The confirmed starting lineups each feature a 4-2-3-1 formation.

For Bournemouth, Đorđe Petrović starts in goal behind Adam Smith, James Hill, António Silva and Adrien Truffert. Tyler Adams and Ryan Christie form the midfield pair, with Rayan, Lewis Cook and Marcus Tavernier lining up behind Evanilson.

Alex Jimenez is suspended, while Alex Scott and Julian Araujo are out with thigh injuries. Hamed Traoré has adductor pain, Matai Akinmboni a muscle injury, Romain Faivre a knock and Will Dennis an ankle injury. Junior Kroupi is also out, while Veljko Milosavljevic is listed as questionable.

Sunderland start Robin Roefs in goal, with Nordi Mukiele, Kevin Danso, Omar Alderete and Reinildo Mandava across the defence. Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki take the deeper midfield roles, while Trai Hume, Enzo Le Fée and Chris Rigg support Timur Tuterov.

The visitors are without Alan Browne, Daniel Ballard, Jenson Seelt, Romaine Mundle and Thomas Meunier. Ballard and Meunier have muscle injuries, while Seelt and Mundle are sidelined with knee injuries. Wilson Isidor is questionable and does not feature in the starting XI.

Bournemouth's league record consists of three draws and three defeats. Draws against Everton, Newcastle United and Brentford were followed by a 1-0 home defeat to Liverpool and a 5-1 loss away to Chelsea, leaving them with a goal difference of minus six.

They return to league action after beating Sturm Graz 3-0 in the Europa League. That result gives Bournemouth a win to build on, but Sunday's task is to end a six-match wait for a Premier League victory.

Sunderland also arrive after a European win, against S.C.U. Torreense. Their recent league results tell a different story: a 1-1 draw at Brentford was followed by defeats against Arsenal, Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion.

Those three losses brought three goals scored and nine conceded. Sunderland have four points from six league matches, with their sole victory coming against Fulham, and share Bournemouth's minus-six goal difference.

There is an away scoring run for Bournemouth's defence to confront, though: Sunderland have scored in each of their last eight away matches. Tuterov leads the visiting attack on Sunday, with Hume, Le Fée and Rigg behind him.

The two clubs have met twice since July 2024, with Sunderland recording one win and the other match ending level. Bournemouth now seek a first league win of this season against opponents close enough in the table for either side to change their relative positions.

Kickoff at the Vitality Stadium is at 14:00 BST on Sunday 18 October, in Week 7 of the 2026/27 Premier League season.

Questions

What is the relegation zone?

The relegation zone is the bottom three places in the Premier League. Teams finishing the season there drop to the division below. Sunderland are currently 18th and Bournemouth 19th.

How far are Bournemouth and Sunderland from safety?

Before kickoff, Bournemouth are two points from safety and Sunderland are one point from safety. Bournemouth have three points from six matches, while Sunderland have four.

Have Bournemouth won a Premier League match this season?

Not yet. Bournemouth have drawn three and lost three of their opening six league matches. They enter this fixture after a 3-0 Europa League victory over Sturm Graz.