Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Sun 12 April 2026 6:00, UK

Sunderland welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Stadium of Light as the visitors look to start strong under Roberto De Zerbi.

Disaster struck on Friday, with Spurs dropping into the relegation zone for the first time in 18 years, as West Ham dispatched Wolves 4-0.

De Zerbi arrived at the club over the international break, with one job assigned for the time being, to guide the Lilywhites to safety.

With the current predicament in mind, Tottenham are in desperate need of a result on Wearside, as they look for a positive start to their new era.

How to watch Sunderland vs Tottenham

With the Premier League paused for the FA Cup quarter-finals last weekend, it will have been three weeks to the day since Spurs last played a minute of competitive football.

While form does go out the window given the extended break and managerial change, the 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest has left the Lilywhites in a dire position – while fans will be keeping a close eye on Forest’s clash with Aston Villa, running simultaneously with Tottenham’s trip to Sunderland.

In the UK, fans will not in attendance will be able to catch the action on Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage starting at 1pm.

Alongside this, Sky Sports subscribers can watch on the move, via the Sky Go app and website.

With Aston Villa hosting Nottingham Forest at the same time, Spurs fans will be keeping a keen eye on the scoreline, while Leeds make the trip to Manchester United on Monday.

Roberto De Zerbi needs to make an instant impact

West Ham’s win on Friday has changed the dimensions of the entire matchday for the clubs at the bottom end of the standings.

This is particularly the case for Tottenham, with the current situation far from the imaginations of supporters at the start of the term.

The current Tottenham squad have proven to be mentally weak amid adversity this season – dropping into the bottom three is hardly what they need as they look to turn fortunes around.

De Zerbi has a big job on his hands at Tottenham. While he will undoubtedly want to set the club up for the future, playing the football seen during his spell with Brighton, the first task is to simply drag the Lilywhites to safety, while the rest of the division is willing for the opposite.

It is now make or break for Tottenham, who have seven matches to save themselves.