Premier League new boys Sunderland handed nightmare December culminating in Newcastle derby

Sunderland will experience the Nightmare Before Christmas after the Premier League fixture list served up a horror December run.

The Black Cats are back in England’s top-flight for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign as the club battles to avoid instant relegation.

Last year, for the second successive season, every newly-promoted side suffered instant returns to the Championship.

Sunderland will be aiming to buck that trend and have been handed a favourable start to the new campaign against West Ham.

Regis Le Bris’ side begin their return at the Stadium of Light before facing fellow newly-promoted side Burnley in gameweek two.

However, the true test of Sunderland’s Premier League credentials will be decided over the do-or-die festive period.

The Wearsiders face Liverpool, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City twice, alongside a first derby showdown with Newcastle.

At the start of December, Sunderland have two testing trips to the two teams that have shared the title for the past eight years.

Sunderland first travel to Anfield to face champions Liverpool on December 3, with Man City at the Etihad next up on December 6.

The relentless run continues with the eagerly awaited return of the Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle at home on December 13.

Sunderland will have to wait until December 27 to renew hostilities with Leeds, having failed to beat the Championship winners during both meetings in the second-division last season.

Either side of that potential six-pointer will be a match away to Brighton, with the return home match against City on December 30.

If that wasn’t enough to make fans squirm, then Sunderland’s run-in will also have supporters diving for cover behind their sofas.

At the end of the season, the Black Cats could be battling for survival against Man United, Everton and Chelsea in their final three games.

Sunderland caused an upset of sorts in the Championship play-off final at Wembley last month, coming back from a goal down to beat favourites Sheffield United 2-1.

On that day, captain Luke O’Nien – who was forced off after just three minutes – was the only player in the starting 11 over the age of 25.

Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has warned the club that such reliance on youth won’t be enough back in the big time.

“If this team went into the Premier League I think they’d really struggle,” he admitted. 

“Let’s be honest about it, you’d love to give them an opportunity but the gulf is so big between the Premier League and the Championship.”

Phillips expects Sunderland to spend big, with the squad already depleted further following Jobe Bellingham’s £31million club-record switch to Borussia Dortmund last week.

He explained: “It was interesting listening to Niall Quinn, having been the chairman, he said it causes all sorts of problems. 

“It’s a good problem to have, £210million, but they have to invest it wisely, we’ve seen over the years when clubs go out and buy eight, nine, ten players without really doing their due diligence, without analysing what they need. 

“They need to be really clever in the transfer market, they need to bring in four or five players to really strengthen.

“But it’s a great problem to have and it will be really interesting to see who Regis [Le Bris, manager] tries to recruit. 

“They’ll have a list now of players they’re working on, but they’ve got a lot of work to do, that’s for sure.”