Sunderland’s Habib Diarra celebrates scoring their second aim with Noah Sadiki. Photograph: REUTERS
LONDON:
Sunderland discover themselves in exalted firm this season, on an inventory with a few of Europe’s prime groups, as they chase down a Premier League report and a possible berth in continental soccer subsequent season.
Their 3-0 house win over Burnley on Monday saved up their standing as the one aspect left within the Premier League with an unbeaten house report this season – a feat that places them in the identical class with European champions Paris Saint-Germain and a cohort of giants like Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus, who’ve additionally not misplaced at house this season.
The victory additionally lifted them as much as eighth within the league standings, permitting them to eye a spot in Europe subsequent season.
However supervisor Regis Le Bris insisted he was conserving give attention to the primary precedence of garnering sufficient factors to keep away from relegation.
“For me, the goal stays the identical,” he mentioned. “The primary goal is round 40 factors, possibly extra. The league is hard. For us, go to 40 and see if we are able to get extra.”
His gamers, nevertheless, have set their sights on an opportunity to compete in European membership competitors within the subsequent marketing campaign, presumably even the Champions League.
“We wish to attain the highest,” mentioned midfielder Noah Sadiki. “If we are able to get prime six or prime 5. There are a whole lot of matches coming so we now have to give attention to the subsequent recreation.”
Often, promoted sides battle for survival within the Premier League, however Sunderland have bucked that pattern by turning the Stadium of Gentle right into a fortress.
They now have the longest house unbeaten begin to a top-flight marketing campaign by a newly promoted aspect since Nottingham Forest went your complete 1977-78 marketing campaign with out defeat on house soil and gained the previous First Division title.
Birmingham Metropolis maintain the report for a newly promoted aspect within the Premier League period with a 15-match unbeaten house run in 2009-10. Sunderland have had 12 house video games to date this marketing campaign, and Le Bris mentioned sustaining the unbeaten run at house was essential, “as a result of we all know that the reference to our followers is essential. We’re a newly promoted aspect, and we really feel that we are able to change the momentum.”
