Relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur make the trip north to Sunderland on Sunday. BBC Sport explores some of the key talking points surrounding this fixture.
All eyes will be on the dugout at the Stadium of Light this weekend as Tottenham’s latest head coach attempts to save his new club from a disastrous relegation with only seven games of the season remaining.
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“I have a big responsibility,” admitted Roberto de Zerbi, who has signed a five-year contract with no relegation release clause. “For me, Tottenham, especially in this moment, is maybe the most important challenge in my career.”
One of the many necessary steps towards securing safety for the Italian and his coaching staff will be to inject belief in a side lacking confidence and he will need to quickly bring an end to their 13-game winless streak in the league (D5, L8) – the club’s worst run for 91 years.
The 46-year-old can perhaps lean on the fact that Spurs have been significantly better away in the Premier League than at home, with 20 of their 30 points coming on the road.
Does De Zerbi need time?
Some of the conversation around the Italian’s appointment has centred on his propensity for slow starts, with time apparently needed to convey his methods to a new group of players, something that Spurs don’t have. But at his past four clubs he has largely hit the ground running and he was victorious in his first league match with Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille.
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The obvious anomaly is Brighton where, not only did he take over in mid-season, but he also failed to win any of his opening five in charge. He did, however, accrue eight points from his first seven games on the south coast and if that form were replicated in his current role it would likely ensure Tottenham’s top-flight survival.
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An average of 36 points has been enough to stay up since the Premier League switched to a 38-game season in 1995-96. The necessary total stands at 33 points across the past 10 seasons. By that yardstick, one win would potentially be enough for De Zerbi, but even with a victory this weekend his work will be far from done.
Record in reach for Sunderland?
Sunderland achieved the magical 40-point mark with victory over Leeds United in early March and, unlike Tottenham, their top-flight status is all but assured for another year.
Regis le Bris’s side can now set their sights on setting a new club record for most points in a Premier League season. They require another 16 to surpass the previous highest total set by Peter Reid’s men in 1999-2000. Unlikely given there are 21 points remaining, but not impossible.
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Sunderland have endured a dismal recent record against Tottenham in the top flight and they are winless in 15 previous meetings (D5, L10) since a 3-1 home victory in April 2010. Four of their five Premier League victories over the north London club have come at the Stadium of Light, including a memorable 1-0 triumph on the opening day of the 2007-08 season.
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Michael Chopra scored a later winner for Roy Keane’s newly promoted side that day and the win proved to be very important, as the Wearside club finished just three points above the relegation zone, while Spurs placed 11th. The opposite could well be true at the conclusion of 2025-26.
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