Sunderland take on Marseille in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday.
Sunderland play Ligue 1 Marseille at Valley Parade on Saturday, in what is Regis Le Bris‘ final pre-season game with his new side.
Sunderland travel to Cardiff City next weekend as they kick off their 2024/25 Championship season.
It’s a new chapter for the Black Cats under new boss Le Bris, who arrived earlier in the summer to bring an end to what was a four-month period without a permanent manager in place.
So far this summer, Sunderland have signed three new players in Simon Moore, Alan Browne, and Ian Poveda, with all three joining on free transfers.
The Black Cats have had mixed results in their pre-season friendlies; winning three, drawing one, and losing two, with the last being a 2-1 defeat vs Bradford City.
How to watch Sunderland vs Marseille
Sunderland fans can catch the Marseille game via the club’s live streaming service, with a match pass costing £7.
The game between Sunderland and Marseille marks the 15th anniversary since the passing of former Marseille owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus, father of Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
Latest Sunderland team news ahead of Marseille including Ian Poveda update
Midfielder Pierre Ekwah is a doubt for this game with a back injury that’s kept him out of the last two friendly matches.
Aji Alese, Leo Hjelde, and Nectarios Triantis are all doubts for the Marseille game, whilst Niall Huggins, Jenson Seelt, Dan Ballard are all longer-term absentees.
Summer signing Poveda is expected to feature vs Marseille and make his first appearance of the pre-season after joining on a free transfer last month.
What Regis Le Bris will be looking for in Ian Poveda Sunderland debut
Poveda is a signing that could go one of two ways for Sunderland.
The Black Cats have taken a risk by handing Poveda a three-year deal given his injury record, but most who’ve seen him play agree that he can be a real game-changer.
He’s a tricky winger who showed on loan at Sheffield Wednesday in the second half of last season that he can beat players on the ball, create scoring opportunities, and just be a general nightmare for defenders.
But if he ends up spending too much time on the sidelines then Kristjaan Speakman and Sunderland may rue handing him a three-year contract.
Le Bris will want to see the spark that Poveda knows he can bring to a side, and also where his fitness levels are at, as he’ll need to be managed properly across the season.