Sunderland go into Christmas sat in sixth in the Premier League after a fantastic season to date, with Regis Le Bris' men collecting 27 points from their first 17 matches.

The start, coupled with struggles for some of the big names, has left some people questioning what is possible for the Black Cats in the second half of the campaign.

In this article, we look at the fixtures facing Sunderland as we got into the hectic period over Christmas and New Year.

Sunday December 28th - Leeds (h)

For older fans, memories of the 1973 FA Cup final are often discussed when Sunderland and Leeds go head-to-head.

More recently, the two teams played out a couple of dramatic Championship fixtures last season, with late goals at both the Stadium of Light and Elland Road.

A bad mistake from Leeds keeper Illan Meslier helped the Black Cats grab a draw at home, before an injury-time winner from Pascal Struijk in February, after Sunderland had until the 78th minute.

Although Leeds have found their form, it is worth noting that Sunderland have lost just one of the last five meetings with the Whites at the Stadium of Light.

Thursday January 1st - Manchester City (h)

Sunderland's first game of 2026 sees them play host to title hopefuls Manchester City on New Year's Day.

The two teams met in the reverse fixture less than a month ago, when City ran out 3-0 victors thanks to goals from Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Phil Foden.

Sunderland have lost their last three meetings at the Stadium of Light, scoring just one goal in those matches.

Prior to that run, the Black Cats had recorded four straight 1-0 home wins over the Citizens, with Phil Bardsley scoring a first-half winner in November 2013.

Sunday January 4th - Tottenham (a)

Just three days after their clash with Pep Guardiola's men, Sunderland are on the road to the capital to face Thomas Frank's Tottenham.

The Wearsiders will be optimistic about collecting a positive result from their journey to north London when you consider Spurs' home form this term.

Tottenham have already lost five home league games this season and are currently five points behind Sunderland.

The Black Cats have lost on their last six visits to Spurs, with a Harry Kane goal proving the difference in their most recent clash in September 2016.

Wednesday January 7th - Brentford (a)

Le Bris and his team are likely to stay down in the capital for an evening kick-off with Brentford just three days later.

Sunderland have already beaten the Bees on home soil this season, coming from behind with two goals in the last eight minutes at the Stadium of Light.

You have to go back to 1987 for the Black Cats' last win at Brentford, as the visitors prepare to face former player Jordan Henderson.

The Bees' home record makes impressive reading with just one defeat in their nine home league games to date.