Bournemouth vs Sunderland Prediction & Preview - Premier League
Bournemouth were beaten 5-1 at Chelsea 8 days before Sunderland come to the Vitality Stadium, and that afternoon is the cleanest way into this fixture. Sunderland lost that same weekend, 2-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. Both sides arrive on a Premier League defeat, but they got there in completely different ways, and the gap between how these two teams score is the story of the match. Full form, team news and our call are below, and you can make your own prediction on the Bournemouth vs Sunderland match page.
- Fixture: Bournemouth v Sunderland
- Competition: Premier League
- Date: Sunday, 18 October 2026
- Kick-off: 14:00 BST
- Venue: Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
What the 5-1 defeat at Chelsea showed
Bournemouth's 1-5 loss away to Chelsea on 10 October 2026 was comfortably their heaviest of this run, and it was not an isolated wobble at the back - they have conceded two or more goals in 3 of their last 6 matches. Before that it was a 0-1 home defeat to Liverpool FC. Two Premier League games, no points, six goals conceded.
The caveat is that one of those was Chelsea away and the other was Liverpool at home. Neither tells you much about what happens against a side scoring at Sunderland's current rate.
Bournemouth's form is noisier than the table suggests
Across their last six, Bournemouth have won 2, drawn 2 and lost 2 for 8 points, scoring 11 and conceding 11. That is a team that turns up in open games: there were three or more goals in 5 of those 6 matches, and both sides scored in 4 of them.
They have scored two or more in 4 of 6, including a 4-0 win over Lincoln City in the EFL Cup and a 2-1 win away at Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League. Home form is the soft spot. One win in three at the Vitality Stadium, and the two non-wins were against Liverpool and Brentford.
Sunderland are not scoring
Six goals in six matches is the number that matters for Régis Le Bris's side. Sunderland have managed two or more in just 1 of their last 6, and failed to score in 2 of them. The exception was a 3-5 defeat away to Manchester City, which is not a template for anything.
There is a defence here, though. Two clean sheets in six, and only 1 of those 6 matches produced three or more goals in total - Sunderland games have been tight and low-scoring almost without exception.
The travelling record is the harder read. Sunderland have won 0 of their 2 away matches in this run, drawing 1-1 at Brentford and losing at Manchester City. At home they are far better, with 2 wins from 4.
Team news for Bournemouth vs Sunderland
Bournemouth are missing Alex Scott (thigh), Julian Araujo (thigh), Eli Junior Kroupi (ankle) and Veljko Milosavljevic (knee), according to Yahoo Sports, with Justin Kluivert, Amine Adli and David Brooks all flagged as possible returns. Head coach Marco Rose confirmed Kluivert and Adli were available again for the Sturm Graz tie, and said of Kroupi that he is "back on the pitch and maybe in a few weeks we have him as well" (dave.sport).
Sunderland are without Dan Ballard and Thomas Meunier, both with hamstring problems, while Romaine Mundle also remains out. Brian Brobbey and Habib Diarra have returned to first-team training, and Wilson Isidor missed Wednesday's session after international duty with Haiti (OneFootball).
Bournemouth vs Sunderland prediction
Our prediction for Bournemouth vs Sunderland in the Premier League at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday 18 October 2026 is a 2-1 Bournemouth win. Bournemouth have scored two or more in 4 of their last 6 and have been involved in three-goal games almost every week; Sunderland have reached two goals once in six and have no away win in this run.
Sunderland will make it awkward - two clean sheets in six says the shape holds up. But a side that has scored six goals in six matches needs its defence to be perfect, and Bournemouth's attack has been too busy for that.
Our prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Sunderland
Make your prediction
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