Sunderland Host Resurgent Forest in Friday Night Battle for European Dreams and Survival

The script has flipped entirely from what most predicted in August. Sunderland, expected to be flirting with the bottom three, are instead sitting pretty in mid-table and eyeing something altogether more ambitious. A win on Friday would propel them into seventh spot and within touching distance of European football.

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, have gone from potential relegation casualties to genuine survivors. Last Sunday's 4-1 demolition of Burnley injected serious life into their campaign, and that came just 72 hours after reaching the Europa League semi-finals. For Vitor Pereira's outfit, it's been a week that has transformed their entire outlook.

When and Where

The Stadium of Light hosts this Friday night fixture, with kick-off at 8pm BST on April 24. Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event will broadcast proceedings from 7pm, with TalkSPORT offering radio commentary.

Team Sheets

Sunderland have some fitness concerns to monitor. Nilson Angulo, Bertrand Traore, and Jocelin Ta Bi remain sidelined but are edging closer to availability. Dan Ballard made his return as a substitute in last weekend's 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa following a hamstring injury and could feature from the start here.

Forest continue without Callum Hudson-Odoi, Willy Bolly, Nicolo Savona, and John Victor. Murillo and Dan Ndoye will undergo late fitness assessments before the squad is finalised.

The Odds

Bookmakers have this one tight, with both teams quoted at 13/8 by several firms, while the draw sits at 23/10. Forest's odds for the drop have drifted to 9/1 following their Burnley win and the four-point buffer they've created. Sunderland are 25/1 to finish in the top six.

What to Expect

Sunderland won the reverse fixture at the City Ground back in September—an early signal that these two were destined for vastly different seasons than anticipated. But Pereira, now in his fourth managerial regime at Forest, has done impressive work juggling European ambitions with Premier League survival.

Forest's form tells the story: six matches unbeaten across all competitions, with four victories included. They've been notably tight at the back too, conceding just four goals during that run. Pereira has previous success in this period of the season—during his Wolves tenure, he won eight of 13 Premier League matches in March and April. That experience could prove crucial.

Sunderland, conversely, have never won a top-flight game on a Friday night, which adds another layer of intrigue. Gibbs-White has been in lethal form for Forest with six goals in his last six Premier League outings, making him a compelling option to find the net in what could well be a Forest victory. A bet builder combining that outcome pays around 5/1.