Fourth-placed Sunderland are on four-game unbeaten run
Fulham are 15th, eight points behind the Black Cats
Recommended bet: Fulham to win
Sunderland's superb start to life back in the Premier League has been one of the stories of the top-flight campaign so far, but the Black Cats may be brought back down to earth by a trip to Fulham on Saturday.
The Black Cats have ripped up pre-season predictions that they would be relegation cannon-fodder this term to sit proudly up in fourth place after 11 games, but a visit to Craven Cottage represents a significant next test.
Fulham are 15th with a disappointing return of just 11 points from their first 11 games, but they are usually strong at home.
The latest Fulham vs Sunderland odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
Sasa Lukic is suspended for the hosts, while Rodrigo Muniz and Antonee Robinson are both still on the sidelines with injuries.
Sunderland are without injured quartet Aji Alese, Habib Diarra, Romaine Mundle and Leo Hjelde, while Omar Alderete is a major doubt for the visitors.
The stats
Fulham have won three of their five home games in the top-flight this term, losing one and drawing the other.
Sunderland's away form this season has been mixed, they have won two, lost two and drawn one on the road.
The Wearsiders have only scored three goals on their travels this season, with only Nottingham Forest and Wolves hitting fewer away.
No player has scored more than two league goals for Fulham this season, Ryan Sessegnon and Harry Wilson both have two.
This is the first top-flight meeting between the sides since January 2014 when Sunderland were 4-1 winners at Craven Cottage.
The latest Fulham vs Sunderland odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
There can be no denying Sunderland's superb start, but they have been helped by a somewhat easy run of early-season fixtures.
A trip to Craven Cottage does not rank in the upper reaches of the Premier League difficulty index either, but Fulham's home form demands teams must respect Marco Silva's side on their own patch.
With Wilson returning to club duty on a high after he netted a hat-trick for Wales on Tuesday, expect the hosts to enjoy themselves and claim all three points, puncturing some of the feel-good factor that has rightly surrounded Sunderland so far this season.
