When Sunderland secured a San Siro visit against AC Milan, the excitement of meeting giants must have been palpable.
By the time they land in Italy on 10 December, the looming Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest three days later may dominate their thoughts.
Last season’s surprise promotion has turned into a season‑long struggle for the club.
Mixing with European heavyweights, they now face a domestic relegation battle.
A 3‑1 loss to Coventry left Sunderland rooted to the bottom after nine games.
The situation could deteriorate dramatically very soon.
Ahead of Milan, they confront a brutal league run: Chelsea at home, Aston Villa away, Tottenham at home, Liverpool away and Newcastle away, plus home ties with Dinamo Zagreb and Jagiellonia Bialystok.
If they can’t pull off upsets and rivals collect points, the Black Cats risk drifting far from safety before the San Siro trip.
Thus the fixture against slow‑starting Forest might prove more crucial than the Italian date.
Their last Premier League win came on 30 August versus Fulham – just two days after the Europa League draw confirmed the Milan trip.
While fans celebrated that win and booked flights, they likely never imagined heading into November without another league victory.
Including an opening defeat to Ipswich, they’ve endured six losses and two draws.
“Very disappointed,” captain Granit Xhaka said after the Coventry defeat.
“We’re not executing what we talk about in training. Mistakes abound and we have no chance to win like this.”
European wins, but at a cost?
Yet their European campaign tells a different story.
They sit ninth in the Europa table, goal‑difference keeping them out of the top eight and a direct route to the last‑16; two wins and a draw from three matches.
In the Carabao Cup, a 3‑2 midweek win over Brentford set up a quarter‑final with fellow strugglers Crystal Palace.
However, they’ve earned just one point from the three league games following European outings, and the Coventry loss followed the cup win over the Bees.
“The players own the club’s reality; we’re growing fast,” manager Regis le Bris noted. “The schedule is demanding.”
“Is it unexpected? No. Many clubs faced the same in their first European season, losing about ten points on average. That’s our reality.”
“Are we happy? Absolutely not. We must improve and play with confidence, like our true style.”
The stark contrast this season is Sunderland’s porous defence.
Last term they boasted the fourth‑best back line, only behind Arsenal, Manchester City and Brighton.
So far only Ipswich and Crystal Palace have conceded more than Sunderland this term.
After nine games last season they recorded five wins, two draws, two losses and just seven goals against.
Now they’ve already let in 17 goals in nine matches – a tally that took 15 games to reach last year.
In Europe they’ve surrendered only two goals across three fixtures.
Seven clear errors led to goals, including a mishandled cross and Luke O’Nien losing the ball to Taiwo Awoniyi for Coventry’s opener.
“Bad result,” Le Bris told BBC’s Match of the Day.
“Ups and downs sum up this game and the season. We created chances but made many unforced errors.”
“At this level, especially in the Premier League, opponents seize every chance – Coventry did that. It’s not luck, it’s us.”
Defensive lapses are evident, and their scoring efficiency is also lagging.
Only relegated Burnley and Wolves posted a lower xG difference last season; three teams scored fewer than Sunderland’s 42 goals, leaving them with a negative goal difference.
This season they have seven goals in nine games, just ahead of second‑bottom Forest’s six.
Defender Dan Ballard remains sidelined with a hamstring injury since the September international break.
If any positives exist, they’ve already faced Arsenal, Manchester City and Brighton, and earned spirited draws with Brentford and Leeds.
But that may be grasping at straws while sitting at the table’s foot.
Qualifying for Europe again feels like a distant dream right now.
“Of course we’re bottom, but football demands positivity,” Xhaka added.
“You must show courage even after mistakes, yet that’s not happening now.”
“It’s a tough spot, but an opportunity to display character and collective desire to rise.”
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