Malcolm DugdaleSat, November 29, 2025 at 6:00 AM UTC·8 min readMartin Wanless predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Bournemouth 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Bertrand Traoré
The Lads will be looking to get back to winning ways on Saturday, and while Bournemouth are an excellent team and shouldn’t be underestimated, it’s a good opportunity to get another three points.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTeam selection is going to be interesting, and I’m going for Traoré to net first for us in a 2-0 win.
He’s had his critics but I thought he was probably man of the match against Fulham — slim pickings, I know –so fingers crossed it’s a good game and a win to set us up nicely for Liverpool in midweek.
‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 3 Bournemouth 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Omar Alderete
The lacklustre performance last weekend was always going to happen once in a blue moon at this level — especially away from home and after an international break, so the Lads will be chomping at the bit to make up for that poor showing and I’m backing us to get a few goals at home today.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementI do think we’ll revert to a back four — as discussed by Andrew and Chris on Haway The Podcast — and that for me means Big Omar is back in the starting lineup, with Lutsharel Geertruida and Trai Hume the most likely players to be losing a starting berth.
Alderete is going to be riled up even more, given that we lost and he got a red card for Paraguay without even getting on the pitch over the break. He needs to show what he can do and I’m backing him to be too powerful from an early set piece — maybe with all the focus being drawn by Dan Ballard, which will help.
Bournemouth may get one, but in recent games they’ve faded late on, so I expect an early 1-0 or 1-1 to go our way by a couple of goals.
Three points is the main thing, and to show that the Fulham run out was a blemish on a great start to the season. Back down to business as usual —with a win please, boys.
Jack Howe-Gingell predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 3 Bournemouth 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Wilson Isidor
Fulham was arguably our most disappointing performance of the season. Really lacklustre stuff — in a poor game in dreadful weather. I’d have snatched your hand off for 0-0 but we conceded a poor goal and those are the breaks at this level.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWe need to regroup and get back to what we do best. Bournemouth will an offer a decent test but they’ve fallen away from their early season going and have struggled away, so this is a good chance for us to get back to winning ways.
Antoine Semenyo is a doubt which would be a big boost, as the former loan man would likely be a major threat, and we must take advantage if he is absent.
I’d really like us to play with some verve after getting it wrong tactically last time, and to put Bournemouth to the sword — which I fancy us to do.
Will Jones predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Bournemouth 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fée
We’re still unbeaten at home, and that’s the big thing going into this one.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementArsenal came here and couldn’t beat us, and Chelsea away showed we can scrap. Fulham was a setback, but the Stadium of Light is different: it’s ours, it’s loud, and it’s becoming a place teams don’t fancy.
Bournemouth will turn up with their usual pace and trickery, but this is the sort of game where we have to show we’re serious. Saturday, 3:00pm,red and white everywhere, and the crowd right on top of them…it’s a proper chance to flex and after a beating by Aston Villa and a slip against West Ham, it’s time to take our chance.
Le Fée will get a goal from open play soon. It’s coming. He’s been neat and tidy, but this is the game where he stamps his mark.
Unbeaten at home, a pint before and a pint after — and three points in between. That’s how it should be.
Matty Foster predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Bournemouth 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
Having now entered the “main course” part of the season, I can see a difficult period ahead.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere’ll be fans sitting there having thoroughly enjoying their starter, thinking their main course of steak will be perfect, but I sense that steak could have some tough parts — perhaps over or undercooked as to how you like it.
But instead of pulling the waiter and complaining incessantly, remember how amazing that first course was, and that this doesn’t ruin the whole meal.
Bournemouth are the visitors, who sit just below us in the table. Their away form isn’t great, with one win in six on the road.
Having seen what’s on the horizon, I’m going to be boring and back a draw.
I’d ideally like us to preserve our home record, before those up the road drag their knuckles into the Stadium of Light.
Anthony Gair predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 4 Bournemouth 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Noah Sadiki
The mighty red and white wizards are going to come back all guns blazing and wallop an ever-impressive Bournemouth side.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementI have nothing to go on other than a fleeting dream I had on Friday evening before the Fulham game, which has only enriched my excitement to sit there in the cold on Saturday.
Régis Le Bris will have them fired up and ready to go. Granit Xhaka will lead us to a thrilling victory and the first goalscorer will be Sadiki. He’s due a goal and he’ll run riot against this lot.
Hows that for optimism!?
Gary Winter predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Bournemouth 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Bertrand Traoré
After a lacklustre performance away at Fulham, we are presented with another winnable fixture, and a chance to get back on track at home to Bournemouth.
I’m not sure whether we were just flat, tired or complacent last Saturday, but hopefully we won’t see too many games like that, as we looked well below our normal effort levels and it’s very difficult to pick up points when we aren’t 100 percent at it.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBournemouth’s early-season form has taken a dip and other than the win at Spurs, there’s been little of note for them on their travels.
Hoping we can turn in a good performance in front of our fans and show that last Saturday was just a blip, but I can’t quite go for the win in this one. I do think there’ll be some changes to the starting lineup after Fulham in order to keep some on their toes — which is why the first goalscorer is hard to predict.
I’ll go for Traoré to open his account.
Brett Lyons-Davis predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Bournemouth 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Wilson Isidor
Well, unfortunately Saturday’s defeat to Fulham all but says goodbye to our title challenge for this season, but one thing we seem to be good at this season is bouncing back from setbacks.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe previous two defeats away from home (Burnley and Manchester Utd) have been followed by home wins the next game and Régis Le Bris will have the Lads up for this to put right the wrongs from Craven Cottage. Although Bournemouth are only behind us on goal difference, they’ll be no mugs.
Big Wilson hasn’t scored since Chelsea and he’ll be needing to get a goal with Brian Brobbey breathing down his neck, so Saturday will be perfect time to get himself back in the mix.
Last Time Out…
The boys struggled to get out of second gear in a very wet and pretty flat performance at down Craven Cottage last weekend.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile we did create chances — despite a back five not working for us —Bertrand Traoré showed some of his better football since joining and probably had our best opportunity just ahead of half time.
When we made our substitutions just after the hour mark and dropped off rather than building on a good spell around that time, I for one accepted it maybe wouldn’t be our day. It wasn’t, so we move on.
Last Game Predictions…
Despite Fulham’s good home form, our writers were all pretty optimistic ahead of our latest trip to London, but that didn’t turn out to be an accurate forecast of how the game panned out.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWe didn’t have anyone calling an 0-0, either, so no points for a correct result, outcome or first scorer for any of the lads.
A bad day at the office for the RR Predictions collective too, then!
Predictions Table And Standings
No change in the table, with no points scored from Craven Cottage.
It doesn’t look like this has dulled the optimism for many in the team for this home game, but it’ll be interesting to see how we fare and how many of the fringe players may get a sniff of minutes to help us bounce back — as we very much need to.
How the points are awarded
Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCorrect score = Three points
Correct outcome (but not correct score) = One point
Correct first Sunderland goalscorer = One point (no goalscorer is a valid call)
Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = a two-point deduction.
