Sunderland welcome Fulham to the Premier League on Sunday with a form gap of 2.89 working decisively in their favour. The hosts carry a steady weighted score of 6.22 out of 10 from their last five outings, while the visitors arrive in poor shape at just 3.33 out of 10. That gulf in recent momentum frames a fixture where one side enters with momentum and the other scrambling to rediscover theirs.

Sunderland's recent record shows 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat across their last five matches, with 12 goals scored and 7 conceded in that span. They have found the net in 4 of those 5 outings, a rhythm that stretched from the 3-1 win away to Everton in mid-May through the 2-1 home victory over Chelsea a week later and into pre-season. The competitive fixtures paint the sharper picture: victories at Everton and against Chelsea sandwiched around a goalless draw at home to Manchester United, before a 2-4 defeat away to Liverpool in the Premier League Summer Series on 25 July. That Liverpool result, though a loss, still saw Sunderland score twice, underlining the attacking intent that has delivered 12 goals across the sample. A single clean sheet in 5 suggests defensive solidity remains a work in progress, but the output at the other end has been consistent enough to drive results.

Fulham's troubles are stark by comparison. Their last five competitive fixtures delivered just 1 win, 1 draw and 3 losses, with only 3 goals scored and 7 conceded. They have scored in just 2 of those 5 matches, a drought that saw them shut out at home to Bournemouth, blanked 3-0 away to Arsenal and held to 1-1 at Wolves. The sole bright spot was a 2-0 home win over Newcastle on 24 May, the only clean sheet in the sample and the only match where they managed more than a single goal. A pre-season friendly defeat at home to Norwich, losing 2-0, did nothing to shift the narrative. Across the five matches, Fulham have mustered fewer goals than Sunderland have conceded, and their scoring frequency has been half that of their opponents for Sunday.

The head to head record over the last 10 meetings tilts 5-3 in Fulham's favour with 2 draws, but the pattern within those fixtures offers context. Both teams have scored in 6 of the 10, and the 2.6 goals per meeting average suggests open exchanges. The five itemised encounters include three Fulham wins, a draw and a Sunderland defeat, most recently a 3-1 away loss on 22 February 2026 and a 1-0 reverse at Fulham in November 2025. The 2023 double header saw Fulham edge a 3-2 away win before the sides drew 1-1, and in April 2018 Fulham took a 2-1 victory. Over 2.5 goals landed in 5 of the 10, pointing to fixtures that have historically offered chances at both ends.

The current form profiles suggest Sunderland hold every statistical advantage entering this contest. Their 12 goals across five matches dwarf Fulham's 3, and their attacking regularity contrasts sharply with the visitors' scoring drought. Fulham's solitary win in five and their inability to find the net consistently leaves them facing a side that has beaten Chelsea and Everton in recent months. The 2.89 form gap is the widest tangible measure of the gulf between these two on current evidence, and with Sunderland scoring in 4 of their last 5 while Fulham have managed goals in only 2, the numbers point toward home control and value in markets that reflect that imbalance.