Sunderland get their 2024/25 Championship campaign underway against Cardiff City on August 10th.
Sunderland under new head coach Regis Le Bris head to the Welsh capital for their opening game of the 2024/25 Championship season.
The Black Cats take on a Cardiff City side who finished last season in 12th place of the table, and six points ahead of Sunderland who finished in 16th.
Last season, Cardiff beat Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light, though the Black Cats won 2-0 away at the Cardiff City Stadium in March, with Jobe Bellingham and Adil Aouchiche on the score-sheet that game,
Here we look at how Cardiff City are shaping up this summer ahead of their season opener vs Sunderland…
Who have Cardiff City signed so far this summer
Cardiff City have had a fairly slow start to the summer transfer window, but the Bluebirds have made as many signings as Sunderland have.
Like Sunderland, there was managerial uncertainty at Cardiff this summer, with Erol Bulut’s future up in the air at one point.
But he’s set to lead the Welsh team into next season and he’ll do so with two new players in his ranks, as things stand.
Cardiff City have signed both Calum Chambers and previous Sunderland target Chris Willock on free transfers.
Bulut recently suggested that he’s expecting some more new signings in the coming week or so.
What does Cardiff City’s pre-season look like right now
Cardiff City have already played three pre-season friendlies; starting with a 1-0 defeat vs Kidderminster Harriers, then beating Belgian outfit Kortrijk 3-1, then Welsh club Penybont 7-1.
The Bluebirds soon head to Austria for a brief spell where they’ll take on Hamburg, South African side Mamelodi, and Hertha Berlin, before returning to the UK for friendlies against Reading and Bristol Rovers.
Their final game against Bristol Rovers is a week before the opener vs Sunderland.
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What should Sunderland and Regis Le Bris expect from Cardiff City
Cardiff City are always a tricky customer in the Championship, and they achieved a good league finish under Bulut last time round.
Many Cardiff fans though were unhappy with the apparently bland and negative style of play, with Cardiff appearing to be a very physical and direct team, but one who’s added some technical quality in Willock this summer.
There’s also Aaron Ramsey who’s working back to fitness this summer, though Cardiff City definitely lack an out and out scorer in their ranks, with their top scorer last season being defender Perry Ng.
The more burning question may be for Cardiff City themselves, and what they could expect from Le Bris and Sunderland, with Black Cats fans largely not knowing what to expect from their own team next season.
There’s still a few weeks before the opener and Kristjaan Speakman will hope to have a few more signings through the doors and to avoid anymore injuries like the recent blow to Dan Ballard.
Starting the campaign with an away trip may not be ideal for Le Bris, especially against tricky customers in Cardiff City.