Sunderland go into Lech Poznan vs Sunderland with a route that looks hard to ignore. They have produced 32 crosses per match and 1.188 xG from set pieces per match, a strong fit against a Lech Poznan side that has already conceded 8 goals and scored 0 in its first two Europa League games.
Sunderland's wide delivery
The pattern is pretty direct. Sunderland have leaned heavily on wide service, and the crossing volume gives them a clear way to ask questions of Lech's central structure. The set-piece numbers matter too, because a team that creates 1.188 xG from dead-ball situations per match is carrying more than one route to goal.
Against a side that lost 4-0 to Crystal Palace and 4-0 to Bayer Leverkusen in its opening two games, the obvious concern for Lech is what happens when the ball keeps coming back into the box. Ali Gholizadeh, A. Sayyadmanesh and Kevin Danso are all absent, with Alex Douglas also a doubt, so there is already less margin for error through the middle.
Lech's European start
Lech's European opening has been rough enough to define the tone of this tie. They are 0 points from two matches and sit bottom of the 36-team table after two rounds, while Sunderland have taken 6 points from two games and are 9th.
Niels Frederiksen said his team were "nervous with and without the ball," which fits the way those two defeats have unfolded. Regis Le Bris has also described Sunderland's domestic dip as "very painful" and said he is "worried," even if their European start has been perfect.
That contrast gives Thursday's game a simple shape. Sunderland have the numbers to trouble Lech in the wide channels and on set plays, and Lech have already shown how fragile they can look when the game gets away from them early.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
