Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris has admitted he feels a degree of sympathy for Wolves as the two clubs prepare for a weekend showdown, acknowledging the uphill battle facing the Midlands side while asserting his own team must seize the moment. The candid remarks came during Le Bris’s pre-match press conference, where he struck a balance between respect for the opposition and confidence in his own players.
Wolves, currently languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table, have endured a difficult start to the campaign, with their away form in particular underwhelming. As for Sunderland, Le Bris knows his side have the opportunity to rise into the top six with a victory. Still, he insisted that respect for Wolves was necessary given the fine margins in England’s top flight.
“They struggled at the beginning of the league, but the last two games showed that they are really competitive,” Le Bris reflected. “They deserved to win their last two games. Good players, good energy, well coached.”
That tone of cautious respect is notable from a manager whose side, as a newly promoted team, are more accustomed to being the underdogs rather than enjoying home advantage. Le Bris reiterated that Sunderland must not underestimate their visitors. “This is the league; you can struggle even if you are strong. If you are not clinical, you can be punished. They had many chances to score a second goal. That is the Premier League,” he said.
At the same time, he voiced his hope that his team would assert themselves. “I hope that we will be able to score twice and win.”
Le Bris also addressed injury matters, a thread that underlines the fragility of any squad in the opening months of the season. He confirmed that Noah Sadiki, who sustained an ankle sprain during international duty, was being monitored by the medical staff, saying, “We checked Noah yesterday and he seems okay. We will see after the training sessions, today and tomorrow, if he will be available for this weekend — but we are positive.”
As for Omar Alderete, who had just returned from a long international flight, Le Bris said the coaching staff would reassess him before the match. “Omar has just come off a 20-hour flight, so we will see. We will assess him again this afternoon. We already had a chat with him yesterday, which was positive.”
Another theme that emerged from Le Bris’s comments is the notion that small details will be decisive. Home fans may expect a dominant performance and a comfortable win, but Sunderland’s manager was keen to temper expectations with realism. “It’s positive but we can feel the danger,” he warned.
“We felt for this 20 minutes when we struggled in one part of the game, the opponent was really able to damage our defence. So it shows that on one side that we’ve done well so far, but it’s fragile. So if you don’t pay attention to small details, you will be punished.”
Le Bris also referenced the weight that comes with home advantage at the Stadium of Light, saying Sunderland must exploit the support but remain composed. He acknowledged that playing in front of their home crowd carries expectations, yet insisted his players are used to handling pressure and would need to do so again.
Wolves, managed by Vítor Pereira, are in desperate need of their first win of the season and facing mounting pressure as they seek to emerge from the relegation zone. Le Bris’s sympathy, therefore, reflects an understanding of how quickly circumstances can turn in the Premier League. As he put it, “If you are not clinical, you can be punished.”