A perfect start meets a slow one
Four wins from four. Arsenal have matched it, so the title race is already shaping up as a two-horse affair. City's perfect start has been helped, in part, by a VAR call that allowed Erling Haaland's goal against Manchester United to stand, despite Enzo Fernandez being offside and interfering with play. Enzo Maresca's side took full advantage.
Sunderland, by contrast, have one win, one draw and two defeats. Last season they finished seventh and qualified for the Europa League. This time around, they are yet to get going.
A decade of dominance
City's unbeaten run against Sunderland goes back to the 2013/14 campaign, when Phil Bardsley scored the winner at the Stadium of Light. Since then, City have won the next 11 meetings. Last season, Sunderland drew at home but lost heavily at the Etihad, with Phil Foden among the scorers.
Foden will miss this one, though. He is suspended after his red card in the Manchester derby, so Sunderland can breathe a little easier.
Goalscorers of the past
Sergio Agüero scored in three of City's last five games against Sunderland, a record that underlines his knack for finding the net against the Black Cats. He retired after a brief spell at Barcelona in 2021.
For the record, the only Sunderland goalscorer in the last five meetings was Jermain Defoe. That is the sum total of their threat in this fixture over recent years.