Sunderland are set to travel to Cardiff City in their opening match of the 2024/25 season.
Sunderland’s fixture list was published this morning and hasn’t thrown up any major concerns.
February arguably looks like the toughest month as they face Leeds, Luton, Hull, Middlesbrough and Watford, but it could be a mostly steady season if they can improve on the last one.
One worry that will perhaps go under the radar is the amount of travelling that Sunderland have to do, with the team set to travel a whopping 2,660 miles in the first two months of the campaign.
Sunderland – the most northern team in the second tier – will travel to Cardiff, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Watford in their first seven matches.
Sunderland’s away schedule isn’t ideal
Journalist Phil Smith has explained why that could really ‘take its toll’ on the squad early doors.
Speaking to the Sunderland Echo, Smith said: “I always prefer to get the longer journeys in at the start or the end of the season when you know you’re travelling a bit more by daylight and its a bit warmer.
“Having said that, I don’t think I would have wanted quite that many in quite a short period.
“Although to be fair I think that is what we were chatting about, that when the relegation and the promotion spots were settled, that this was going to be a very, very ‘travelling’ season for everybody.
“I definitely don’t think the club will see if as ideal to have that many long journeys in the opening stages of the season. I think it will take its toll a little bit on the players. At the moment, it doesn’t look as daunting because there’s a week between all the fixtures, but obviously we’ll have the first round of the Carabao Cup draw tomorrow too and you’ve potentially thrown another two or three away games in there possibly depending on the draw.
“So I’ve got mixed feelings on that one, I don’t think it’s ideal for a football perspective.”
The Black Cats’ worrying away form
Sunderland’s start to the 2024/25 season looks very different to last season’s, where they spent most of their trips in the Midlands and above.
The Black Cats faced Preston, Coventry, Blackburn, and Sheffield Wednesday, as well as a single trip down south to QPR.
It proved to be their matches on the road that were a huge problem later on in the campaign though, picking up only one away win between October and March.
They did also go the final seven home fixtures without a win too though, so it’s fair to say the team just need to improve on their form wherever they play.