The Black Cats face Coventry City on Sunday in their first Championship game in over four years.
Alex Neil’s side will be hoping to get off to the best possible start in-front of their own fans and in-front of the TV cameras when they welcome Mark Robins’ side.
The hype surrounding the start of a new season is beginning to ramp up and of course with that, comes plenty of predictions about how the next 46 games will unfold for Sunderland and all of their new Championship rivals.
Here, we take a look at the Daily Mirror’s pre-season Championship predictions to see where they believe Sunderland will finish in the league.
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1. Burnley (1st)
It’s all change at Turf Moor this season but Vincent Kompany’s men have been tipped for great things this year and the Daily Mirror believe they will come out on top of the pile at the end of the season. Photo: George Wood
2. Norwich City (2nd)
With Dean Smith at the helm, and previous experiences of bouncing back from relegation heartbreak, the Canaries are seemingly well set to secure yet another return to the top-flight this season. The Daily Mirror are predicting a 2nd place finish for Norwich. Photo: Pete Norton
3. Watford (3rd)
Rob Edwards has been tasked with ensuring the Hornets bounce back from another relegation the first possible opportunity. The Daily Mirror predict that Watford may have to settle for the lottery of the playoffs this season. Photo: Richard Heathcote
4. Sheffield United (4th)
The Blades were denied a shot at returning to the Premier League on penalties last year after a strong end to the season under Paul Heckingbottom. They will be battling for automatic promotion once again this year, according to the Daily Mirror. Photo: Michael Regan