Preview: Everton vs Sunderland - prediction, team news, lineups

One of four all-Premier League ties taking place in the third round of the 2025-26 FA Cup, Everton and Sunderland collide at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

Well-travelled Toffees boss David Moyes reunites with another former club this weekend, when the Merseyside giants will seek to buck an unsightly trend in the prestigious competition.

Match preview

Boasting a quintet of FA Cup trophies from campaigns gone by, Everton - who last conquered the tournament all the way back in 1995 - have endured early exits and semi-deep runs in equal measure since last reaching the final in 2009.

Falling to Chelsea’s superiority nearly 17 years ago, the Toffees have two semi-final and four quarter-final exits on their record over the past two decades, but they have failed to progress past the fourth round in any of the past three seasons.

Moyes in particular has fared poorly when faced with top-flight opposition in the competition, suffering elimination in eight of his last 10 FA Cup matches against Premier League clubs - another negative omen amid the Toffees’ current patchy form.

A European charge in the Premier League is not entirely out of the question for the Merseyside outfit, but Moyes’s men boast just one win from their last six Premier League fixtures and could only manage a 1-1 draw with basement side Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, although a point was creditable with just nine men on the field.

However, that stalemate prolonged Everton’s winless sequence in front of their own supporters to three matches, and the hosts have won just one home game this term when conceding, keeping clean sheets in each of their other four successes at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton at least hold the overall FA Cup bragging rights over two-time winners Sunderland, who hoisted the trophy aloft in 1937 and 1973 but only have one final appearance to their name since, finishing as runners-up to Liverpool in 1992.

The Black Cats have since had bigger fish to fry with their ascents and descents up and down the English football pyramid, and they are now bidding to reach the fourth round for just the second time in 11 seasons, after progressing that far in 2022-23 before losing to Fulham.

Alternatively, the visitors could suffer a third consecutive third-round exit after losses to Newcastle United in 2023-24 and Stoke City in 2024-25, as well as an eighth straight FA Cup defeat against a team competing in the same league as them.

Regis Le Bris’s men have also hit a few snags in the top flight of late; hard-fought draws against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were praiseworthy, but Wednesday’s comprehensive 3-0 loss to Brentford extended their winless run to five matches, and they boast just two successes from their last 12.

Sunderland did bite back to hold Everton to a 1-1 Premier League draw a couple of months ago, but the Toffees have remarkably knocked the Black Cats out of the FA Cup eight times down the years - they have only eliminated Sheffield Wednesday (10) on more occasions.

Everton form (all competitions):

Sunderland form (all competitions):

Team News

Everton’s point against Wolves came at a significant cost on the disciplinary front, as Michael Keane received a straight red card for pulling Tolu Arokodare’s hair, before Jack Grealish incurred a nonsensical second yellow for sarcastically applauding the referee.

The latter serves his one-game ban this weekend, while Keane begins a three-game suspension, and the pair join Seamus Coleman (hamstring), Jarrad Branthwaite (thigh), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (thigh) and Carlos Alcaraz (unspecified) on the sidelines.

Senegal duo Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye will also remain unavailable, regardless of the outcome of Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Mali, but Moyes should not shy away from a handful of alterations regardless.

On Sunderland’s end, Reinildo Mandava, Noah Sadiki, Arthur Masuaku and Bertrand Traore have all been eliminated from the AFCON this week; the former has the best chance of being available given his Mozambique side were knocked out on Monday, but all of their availabilities are up in the air at the time of writing.

Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi are still away in Morocco, though, while Aji Alese is working his way back from a long-term shoulder injury, and Wilson Isidor (knock) will require a last-minute fitness test.

Enzo Le Fee’s terrible attempt at a panenka penalty in the loss to Brentford should not be enough for Le Bris to demote him, but Chris Rigg and Simon Adingra may be at risk of the chop after lasting just 52 minutes in midweek.

Everton possible starting lineup:

Travers; Patterson, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Aznou; Rohl, Garner, Iroegbunam; Dibling, Beto, McNeil

Sunderland possible starting lineup:

Patterson; Mukiele, Alderete, Ballard, Cirkin; Xhaka, Geertruida; Adingra, Le Fee, Mayenda; Brobbey

We say: Everton 1-1 Sunderland (a.e.t, Everton win on penalties)

Sunderland and goals do not go hand in hand away from home, as Le Bris’s side have failed to make the net bulge in four of their last six matches on the road - unsurprisingly going winless in all of them.

A possible batch of AFCON returns will help the Black Cats on that front, but in a contest that screams low-scoring stalemate, Everton should use the Hill Dickinson crowd to their advantage and get the job done on spot kicks.

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