Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for Sunday's early Premier League kickoff as winless pair Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur face off at the Stadium of Light. Both sides will be desperate to get that first victory under their belts and move away from the bottom three, so hopefully we should see plenty of attacking intent on show today. Let's start with a look at the team news...

SUNDERLAND STARTING XI: Pantilimon; Jones, Kaboul, O'Shea, Van Aanholt; Gomez, Lens, Toivonen, M'Vila; Borini, Defoe

SUNDERLAND SUBS: Cattermole, Larsson, Rodwell, Graham, Coates, Mannone, Watmore

TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Mason; Chadli, Alli, Son; Kane

TOTTENHAM SUBS: Vorm, Rose, Trippier, Carroll, Lamela, Townsend, Winks

What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, there are a few notable inclusions from home manager Dick Advocaat, such as handing a second debut to Fabio Borini. The Italian had a successful loan stint with the Black Cats a couple of seasons ago, helping them to stay in the top flight, and he completed his permanent move to the Stadium of Light from Liverpool during the closing stages of this summer's transfer window. If he can have a similar impact this time around to the one he had last time then it would be a good piece of business by the club - even if they did pay a fairly hefty sum of money for him.

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There is also a full debut for Toivonen today after he came off the bench and contributed to his side's draw with Aston Villa last time out. He laid on Sunderland's second goal in that match and, having been close to joining Liverpool when the Reds were managed by Roy Hodgson, he will be desperate to now take his chance in the Premier League. Also in midfield is Gomez, who has overcome a knee injury to feature. There is no place for Lee Cattermole, however, with the tenacious midfielder having made a really poor start to the season.

In all, there are no fewer than five summer signings in the Sunderland starting XI today, with M'Vila and Lens arguably the two most high profile. They both got on the scoresheet against Aston Villa last time out, with M'Vila's strike in particular being a memorable one. The fact that they have hit the ground running will be very pleasing for Advocaat, who can't really afford for his players to need time to gel considering their start to the season. Lens has particularly impressed so far, picking up two assists and one goal in his four Premier League outings.

It is at the back where their main problems have come this season, but Advocaat has opted for an unchanged defensive five following a slightly improved showing against Villa last time out. Kaboul is the fifth summer signing in the side and it is fair to say that he has made a fairly shaky start to his Sunderland career. O'Shea seems to bring more of a calming presence to the defence, though, and Advocaat will be confident that the defensive side of things will start to improve sooner rather than later - it can't get much worse.

As for Spurs, they also hand a debut for a big-money summer signing up front, with Son Heung-min - an £18m man from Bayer Leverkusen - being given his Spurs bow. He netted a hat-trick on international duty earlier this week so arrives at the club in good form, and Pochettino will be hoping that his addition will take some of the goalscoring burden off Harry Kane. They did, of course, miss out on Berahino on deadline day, but Son was a big investment for them and Spurs fans will be eager to see what he can do today.

The main bulk of the goals will still be expected to come from Kane, though. The young striker netted 31 times in all competitions for Spurs last season but is yet to open his account this term. However, he showed no lack of confidence on international duty, scoring two goals in two games for England, and that should give him confidence to find the goal trail again domestically. His well-taken strike against San Marino ended an eight-game drought for club and country, while he has only scored two Premier League goals in his last 12 appearances, compared to 14 in the 12 prior to that.

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Elsewhere, Dele Alli is handed his first league start for the club having already come off the bench to score once this season, and he is joined by Chadli and Son in the trio behind Kane. Dembele and Bentaleb both drop out of midfield to cater for Alli and Son, which sees Mason drop back into defensive midfield alongside Dier, who looks to have established himself in that area of the field now having played much of last season in defence.

There is one change at the back as well from the side that drew with Everton last time out as Davies comes in to replace Danny Rose on the left side of the defence. Walker continues on the opposite flank, while Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen once again fill in at the heart of the defence. Hugo Lloris, as ever, captains the side between the sticks.

For Sunderland, it has been another disappointing start to the season despite plenty of optimism surrounding the club during the summer. Advocaat's initial refusal of the full-time role at the Stadium of Light was seen as a big blow, but his U-turn handed Sunderland a manager who many believed could end their annual scrapes with relegation. The summer business was seen as ambitious and positive too, but so far that feelgood factor has been ebbing away due to performances on the field.

It is hard to imagine a worse way for Sunderland to have started the season. They travelled to expected fellow relegation candidates Leicester on the opening day and found themselves 3-0 down before they knew what hit them, eventually losing 4-2. They were three goals behind again in their next match at home to newly-promoted Norwich City, going on to lose 3-1.

Things have improved since then, in fairness, with a good draw against in-form Swansea being followed up by a thrilling 6-3 victory over Exeter that is perhaps the best demonstration of their strengths and weaknesses so far this season. Defensively, Sunderland have been nothing short of abysmal so far this season. No team conceded more in the opening four games of the campaign, with the Black Cats shipping 10 goals. That tally has since been surpassed by, of all teams, Chelsea, but the champions have played a game more than Sunderland.

Two more goals came last time out against Aston Villa - another team expected by many to be fighting it out at the wrong end of the table come May. M'Vila's fine free kick gave Sunderland the lead, but a brace from Scott Sinclair, helping in part by some more questionable defending, saw Villa turn the match on its head. Lens did eventually get the equaliser, and it was an improvement on weeks gone by for the Black Cats, but they still have some way to go to fully convince.

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As mentioned, their defence has been the biggest problem so far this season, but at the other end of the field there have been positive signs. No team in the bottom half had scored more than Sunderland in the opening four games of the campaign, and they do appear to have some serious attacking talent in their ranks now. However, with such a leaky defence it is always going to be hard to get results, and Sunderland come into this game without a win in their last seven Premier League outings, since a 2-0 victory over Everton in May.

Their home form was an issue throughout last season, with only Burnley picking up fewer points than Sunderland's 20 and scoring fewer goals than their 16. No team conceded more in front of their own fans than the Black Cats, who only won four matches at the Stadium of Light throughout the whole of last season. There has been an improvement under Advocaat, though, with the Dutch manager averaging 1.3 points per game from his six home league games in charge compared to 0.64 in the previous 11 under Gus Poyet.

They certainly don;t do themselves any favours with these slow starts to the season, though. It gets them off on the wrong foot, and in recent campaigns they have simple not been able to recover, going through the same cycle of sacking the manager, bringing a new man in to rescue them from relegation and doing it all again the next year. They have not won any of their opening four games in any of the last four Premier League seasons, and Advocaat needs to ensure that this winless run doesn't stretch much further.

The same applies for the visitors today, though. Spurs would have started the season with aspirations of a top-four challenge, as they always do, but things have certainly not gone as planned so far. They remain winless after four games - the first time that has happened since 2008-09 - and defeat today would see them drop into the relegation zone. Pochettino doesn't appear to be under too much pressure right now, but that could change if things carry on in this fashion.

The manner of their results so far this season will be particularly disappointing for Pochettino to take. They began the campaign with a tricky match away to Manchester United, which was only decided by an unfortunate Kyle Walker own goal. They then led in matches against Stoke and Leicester, only to blow those leads late on, with the former seeing Stoke score twice in the final 15 minutes to rescue a 2-2 draw. Spurs could, and probably should, have at least nine points from their opening four games rather than the three they have managed.

Their most recent match saw them host Everton before the international break, and it is another game that they really should have won. In the end the Toffees held out for a goalless draw, but Spurs spurned a number of good chances in that match, with Kane and Mason missing the best two. Tim Howard put in a man-of-the-match display in goal for Everton, keeping a clean sheet despite 20 shots from the hosts. The amount of chances they created would have been a positive for Pochettino, but they simply had to take at least one of them.

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Another draw this afternoon would give them four on the bounce for the first time since April 2008, while failure to win would leave them in their worst spell of Premier League form since February to March 2012 - five games without a win. They are one of just four teams still looking for that first win of the season, although maximum points today could lift them as high as 10th in the table.

In contrast to Sunderland, Tottenham's main problems have come in attack so far this season. I have already talked about Kane's woes, but as a team they have only managed three goals in their opening four games. Only Newcastle have scored fewer so far this season, but on the flip side only the league's current top three - the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal - have conceded fewer than Pochettino's side.

Their away form last season was one of their main strengths, with only the top three of Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal amassing more points on the road than Spurs' 31. However, that has started to falter of late, and they have managed just one win from their last five and two from their last eight games away from home. Given Sunderland's home troubles, there is perhaps nowhere better right now to try to improve that record for Tottenham.

Spurs will return to European action next week, hosting Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag FK in the Europa League, and they then face a very difficult spell of fixtures. Crystal Palace, Manchester City, Swansea and Liverpool are next up for them in the Premier League, while in the midst of all that they also take on local rivals Arsenal in the League Cup and Monaco in the Europa League. That run makes picking up a win here all the more important.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Stadium of Light, which means that it is time for a prediction! Neither side have been in great form this season, and it pits a struggling attack against a struggling defence. However, Spurs still have the greater quality in their squad and, having netted for England, Kane will fancy his chances of breaking his club duck against such a porous defence today. I'm going to go for a 2-0 away victory.

We were in agreement over a Tottenham victory on the Sports Mole sofa this week. Find out what we had to say about this match in our video preview below:

Tottenham have certainly had the better of this fixture in recent years. They are unbeaten in their last 10 meetings with Sunderland, winning seven and drawing three since a 3-1 victory for the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light back in April 2010. There have been five meetings here since, with Sunderland managing just two points from a possible 15 in that time.

One of those points did come last season, though, as a late Harry Kane own goal rescued a 2-2 draw for Sunderland exactly a year ago today. Chadli and Eriksen had got on the scoresheet for Spurs, while Johnson got Sunderland's first. Spurs emerged victorious from the most recent meeting, however, with a late Christian Eriksen strike sealing a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane in January. John O'Shea scored an own goal in that match too.

Right, we're just about ready to get going at the Stadium of Light here. It isn't quite a must-win match for these two sides just yet, but despite being so early in the campaign this one does have an air of importance around it given how poorly both sides have started the season.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Tottenham get us underway against Sunderland as both sides go in search of their first win of the new Premier League season.

PENALTY SHOUT! Big penalty shout for Spurs inside the opening minute as Walker bursts into the box, pouncing on a mistake from Borini. He bounces off the Italian before being bodychecked by Van Aanholt. Referee Craig Pawson shakes his head, though.

Spurs have started this game very positively. Alli does brilliantly to knock the ball through the legs of his marker and get into a crossing position, but his delivery is straight into the arms of the keeper.

Sunderland have also started the match brightly in possession, looking to get forward in numbers wherever possible. They have dominated possession in the last couple of minutes and look capable of causing Spurs a few problems when they get into the opposition half.

Still no clear chances for either side, but there have been one or two promising moments at either end of the field that both defences have had to be alert to cut out. Both managers will be content with what they have seen so far.

Almost a shooting chance for Sunderland as Van Aanholt is afforded a bit too much room around 25 yards from goal. The left-back opts against going for goal, instead sending a pass to Defoe, who sees his own strike blocked.

A piece of hesitation between goalkeeper and defender for Spurs gives Sunderland some encouragement, and moments later the crowd are up again as Lens's chipped ball forward is just too far in front of Borini inside the box.

Alli has been fairly heavily involved in these opening exchanges and certainly doesn't appear to be out of his depth at this level. He wins a free kick in a good crossing position for Spurs...

It is Son who stands over the ball and lifts it into a dangerous area, but it is well defended by the hosts.

SAVE! Pantilimon does well to come and claim a cross before immediately launching a counter with an early throw. Defoe eventually finds himself with the ball at his feet just inside the box, and his powerful effort has plenty of dip on it. It is a difficult one for Lloris, but he deals with it well. At the other end of the pitch moments later Kane sends an effort of his own over the crossbar.

YELLOW CARD! Vertonghen becomes the first name in the book this afternoon for an untidy challenge on Lens.

Still not much to shout about for either side so far, with Defoe's effort a few minutes ago the closest we have come to a goal. The quality hasn't been great so far.

Difficult one for Lloris to deal with as Alderweireld's back-pass is heavy and bouncing awkwardly for the Spurs skipper. He has Defoe chasing him down, but he deals with it well, calmly working it out to the left to avoid a potentially sticky situation.

YELLOW CARD! Borini goes into the book for a clumsy challenge on Alli, barging into the youngster from behind.

This match is getting a little feisty now. There aren't any really bad challenges coming in, but there have been a few niggly moments and you can tell that one or two of the players are getting a bit worked up.

SHOT! Speculative one from Lens as he uses the decoy runner to cut inside onto his left foot and create space for a shot. He is a long way out, but that doesn't put him off as he drills a long-range effort wide of the near post.

OFF THE POST! What a chance this is for Defoe to come back and haunt his former club! The striker races on to a fine through-ball from Lens and only has the keeper to beat. He carries the ball into the box, and it is the sort of chance that he has made a career out of scoring, but his time he drags his effort onto the post.

You'd have backed Defoe to score that one nine times out of 10. It was great movement from the striker and he was found by an equally impressive pass from Lens. However, his finish wasn't as clean as he would have liked and a glorious opening goes begging.

A concern for Spurs here as Davies goes down looking dazed and confused. Both sets of players take the chance to rehydrate over on the sidelines, while the managers bark out some instructions to their troops.

Kane has developed something of a shoot-on-sight policy so far this season, and he adopts that again here when going for a first-time effort from a tight angle despite having men in support. Kaboul makes the block to concede a corner, which comes to nothing.

CHANCE! More good movement from Defoe as this time he darts down the left channel to collect a through-ball, although he is not as confident on his weaker left foot. Instead he looks for Toivonen in the middle, but Davies gets a foot in to turn it back into the arms of his own keeper.

We have just under 10 minutes remaining before half time now, and Sunderland will be the happier of the two sides with how this first half has gone so far. They have had the better chances and are playing with a confidence that belies their league position.

SHOT! Son looks to mark his debut with a goal, cutting inside from the right flank onto his left foot and trying to curl one into the far top corner. He can't wrap his foot around it enough, however, and it ends up going comfortably wide of the target.

CHANCE! Another good chance for Defoe, who really is causing problems with his movement. This time it is down the right channel against Alderweireld, collecting the ball in the box before cutting back onto his left foot. There is a question over whether the Tottenham defender is tugging him back, but Defoe doesn't complain much as he sends his effort straight at Lloris.

YELLOW CARD! Jones is the latest player in the book for pulling his man back cynically, but that was a bit of a soft one.

Defoe has been restored to his favoured central role today and it has made a big difference. He was deployed out on the left against Villa, but there is no doubt that he is more of a threat through the middle. He has been the most dangerous player on the park today.

CHANCE! Big chance for Spurs to nick a goal on the break! Chadli takes his time to pick out the late run of Walker, who finds himself unmarked in the box. He plays the ball back to Son, but the debutant can't connect with the ball as Gomez makes a brilliant block.

At the other end of the field, Lens leaves Alderweireld for dead with a lovely piece of skill to go into the box, but Dier comes back to make an important last-ditch challenge. We are into the first of two minutes stoppage time, incidentally.

Craig Pawson brings an end to an entertaining first half at the Stadium of Light, and we're still goalless despite the hosts creating a number of decent chances. They have been the better side so far today, but it remains all square and this one could still go either way.

The best chance of the half fell to Defoe, who has caused a string of problems in a central role. The striker was sent clean through on goal by a fine through-ball from Lens, who carried the ball into the penalty area but rather scuffed his finish and saw his effort come back off the post. It was a chance he would usually take with his eyes closed, but the contact on his shot was not clean enough.

Defoe's movement has caused plenty of problems already, and the former Spurs man has had a few other sights of goal too. One came with just over five minutes left of the first half when he raced on to another ball through before cutting inside and sending a tame left-footed strike straight at the keeper. Alderweireld did have hold of Defoe's arm, giving the referee a decision to make, but the Sunderland striker stayed on his feet.

Spurs haven't had much to shout about in the final third so far, but they did have a penalty claim in the very first minute when Walker was bodychecked by Van Aanholt. The Sunderland full-back did look like he was pulling out of the challenge, however, so it is clear to see why the referee didn't point to the spot.

Aside from that, Tottenham's best chance came right on the stroke of half time when Chadli led a counter-attack before picking out an unmarked Walker at the back post. The angle was against the full-back, who pulled the ball back for Son, but the debutant couldn't connect with the ball and a good opening went begging.

KICKOFF: Sunderland get us back underway for the second half, no doubt looking to build on what was such an encouraging first-half display.

Sunderland still don't look entirely comfortable defensively. A loose ball breaks into their penalty area here, which O'Shea wants Pantilimon to come and collect. The keeper doesn't come, however, and O'Shea is forced to hook the ball away himself.

Really good work from Lens as he hounds Walker backwards, forcing a slip from the full-back. It is a really good tussle between the two that eventually ends in a free kick for Spurs, but that will certainly get the fans on Lens's side.

Son looks to be Tottenham's set piece taker, at least in the absence of Eriksen, but his deliveries have been fairly disappointing so far, especially his corners. The latest is easily cleared by the first man.

Crunching challenge from Mason as he goes in heavily on Borini. The midfielder gets the ball, but also catches Borini on the follow-through. The referee is right not to give a free kick as the challenge itself was a good one, but it was a painful one for Borini.

SHOT! Mason lines up an effort from range on his left foot, but he can't get the power or direction he wants behind it, sending his drive well wide.

The Sunderland fans and players are growing increasingly frustrated with referee Craig Pawson, but the official has by and large had a decent game today. A few decisions have gone against the Black Cats, but there haven't been any shockers.

CHANCE! Decent chance for Sunderland again as Lens picks the ball up on the left before cutting inside Walker and sending a shot towards the bottom corner. He doesn't quite catch it right, however, and Lloris is able to make the save.

A hint of a chance for Spurs as a corner arrives to Chadli in the middle, but he misses his kick. The ball still falls for Kane, but he has his back to goal and throws himself to ground in the hope of getting a penalty. Nothing doing for the ref, though.

SHOT! M'Vila fizzes a pass in to Toivonen, who immediately turns and looks to go for goal himself. His effort is tamely dragged wide of the target, however. Moments earlier Alli had done well down the left before putting a low pass right across the face of goal that no-one could turn home.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs make their first change of the match as Andros Townsend replaces Son for his first appearance of the season.

CHANCE! Big chance for Sunderland once again! A long-range effort is blocked and loops up into the penalty area, where Toivonen and Lens are in attendance. It favours Toivonen, but he hesitates and leaves it for Lens, allowing Lloris to get there first.

CHANCE! The hosts break forward yet again here, with Defoe laying the ball off for Lens in space. Lens carries it forward from inside his own half, with only Vertonghen separating him from the goal, but the Spurs defender does really well to watch him all the way before making the tackle.

Important piece of defending from Jones to clear Townsend's clipped cross at the back post. Alli was steaming in right behind the full-back, so it was a vital interception to nod it behind for a corner.

CHANCE! Big chance for Kane to open the scoring and break his domestic duck! The striker peels off his man at the back post and a cross from the left drops right to him on the volley. However, he completely misses his kick and a golden opportunity goes begging.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Another change from Pochettino as Erik Lamela replaces Alli.

Spurs are starting to figure more as an attacking threat in this match now, with 20 minutes remaining. Sunderland will kick themselves if they don't get anything from this match as they have had the chances to wrap it up already.

Concern for Borini here as the former Liverpool man goes down clutching his head following a clash with Davies. Davies came steaming into a challenge and caught Borini in the face with a trailing boot, which the Italian is not happy about.

SUNDERLAND SUBS: Double change for Sunderland as Gomez and Borini make way to be replaced by Lee Cattermole and Duncan Watmore.

Defoe hasn't been quite as much of a threat in the final third since the interval, but his general performance has surely earned him the chance to start in a central role again. He has worked his socks off for the team today.

CHANCE! Good chance for Spurs to get the opening goal as Lamela lifts a cross into the middle that Dier does well to win. He gets a firm contact on the ball, but his header doesn't have the power required to beat Pantilimon.

Advocaat may be beginning to get a little concerned at the way this match is heading right now. Spurs have grown into the game in an attacking sense and are looking the most likely to score right now, with Mason's cross just about being dealt with by the defence.

From the resulting corner Sunderland fail to adequately clear their lines and the ball falls to Mason on the edge of the box, but his left-footed strike lacks power and Pantilimon collects.

SUNDERLAND SUB: A third and final change for the hosts sees Jack Rodwell replace Toivonen.

Tottenham get what could well be the winner! It is beautiful football from the visitors as some slick one-touch passing between Kane, Lamela and Mason eventually sees the latter bearing down on goal. He only has Pantilimon to beat and, while his first touch isn't the best, he still manages to dink it over the keeper on the stretch.

OFF THE BAR! Almost an immediate response from Sunderland as they come within inches of levelling things up. It is brilliant play by Kaboul on the wing, with the big centre-back looking more like Lionel Messi as he skips past a challenge and pulls the ball back for Rodwell. The Sunderland sub hits a curling effort first time, but sees his controlled strike crash off the crossbar. So unlucky for the hosts.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Mason, meanwhile, has been receiving treatment ever since scoring the goal but he will not be able to continue. He is carried away on a stretcher to be replaced by Tom Carroll.

CHANCES! Two big chances for Spurs to put the game to bed as first Kane finds himself unmarked at the back post. He puts his foot through it in search of that elusive first club goal of the season, but Pantilimon makes a fine save at almost point-blank range. Moments later Townsend clips a cross into the box that finds Lamela in a great position, but he gets too much on his header to send it wide.

Sunderland need someone to come up with something quickly if they are to avoid defeat here today. This has been their best performance of the season to date, and they will be desperately unlucky if they do end up coming away with nothing.

Some encouragement for Sunderland as the fourth official indicates a minimum of five minutes added time at the end of this match. Chadli, meanwhile, sends a long-range effort well over the crossbar.

CHANCE! Carroll wins the ball really well in a 50-50 with Cattermole to give Spurs a good chance to come forward. All of their players take too long on the ball, however, and Chadli eventually blasts his effort over the crossbar having worked a yard to shoot.

CHANCE! One last chance for Sunderland? Again it is Kaboul down the right flank that provides the cross, and Lens climbs higher than Walker at the back post to win the header. He can't steer his effort on target, however, and that could be that for the Black Cats.

Spurs hold out for their first victory of the new Premier League season, but Sunderland will be wondering just how they haven't come away from this match with anything to show for their efforts. They were the better side for the most part, but luck was not on their side today. They hit the woodwork twice but were unable to find a way past Hugo Lloris, making it five matches without a victory for the Black Cats this season.

The only goal of the game came with just eight minutes remaining when Mason finished off a fine team move by dinking the ball over Sunderland keeper Pantilimon, although the midfielder did pick up an injury in the process that forced him to miss the closing stages. Kane and Lamela were also involved in the build-up, with the latter playing the final through-ball to Mason, who finished it well.

That is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for an entertaining clash between Sunderland and Tottenham as Spurs pick up their first win of the season to send the Black Cats back to the bottom of the table. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!