Liverpool vs Sunderland predictions take us to Tennessee for a friendly between two sides who finished closer together than most would guess. The Premier League pair meet on Saturday 25th July at GEODIS Park, Nashville. Kick-off is scheduled for 11pm (UK time).
Last season separated them by just six points. Liverpool finished fifth on 60, Sunderland seventh on 54, and the Wearsiders actually conceded fewer goals across the campaign. Their two league meetings were tight, too, with a draw at Anfield and a one-goal Liverpool win on Wearside. Both clubs now have four weeks until the new Premier League season begins on 21st August, so expect two full squads to be shared across the 90 minutes.
Liverpool vs Sunderland predictions & betting tips
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool -1 Handicap | 11/8 @ QuinnBet (42%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | The gap between these squads is at the top end of the pitch. Liverpool scored 63 Premier League goals last season to Sunderland’s 42, and their forward options are the deepest in this fixture. Hugo Ekitike led the way with 11 goals and four assists, Cody Gakpo added seven goals and five assists, and Mohamed Salah managed seven and seven from only 23 starts. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak give the manager more still. Friendlies reward squads that can change an entire XI without dropping a level, and few can do that better. At 11/8 to win by two or more, the price rewards the boldness. |
| Dominik Szoboszlai to score anytime | 3/1 @ bet365 (25%) | ⭐⭐ | Nobody in a red shirt plays more football than Szoboszlai. He started 36 Premier League games last season and racked up 3,233 minutes, more than any outfield player at the club bar Virgil van Dijk. That volume brought six goals and seven assists from midfield, and it makes him a near certainty to feature heavily here. Pre-season is when midfielders arriving late into the box get their rewards, and Szoboszlai remains a threat from range and from set-pieces. At 3/1, a player with six league goals and guaranteed minutes looks a generous price in the goalscorer market. |
Odds correct at time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
How both teams head into Liverpool vs Sunderland
Liverpool
Liverpool’s 2025-26 campaign fell short of expectations. Fifth place brought 60 points from 38 games, with 17 wins, nine draws and 12 defeats, leaving them 25 points behind champions Arsenal.
The attack still functioned. Liverpool scored 63 league goals, and Ekitike was the standout with 11 from 1,810 minutes. Gakpo weighed in with seven goals and five assists, while Salah managed seven and seven from 23 starts, a modest return by his own extraordinary standards. Wirtz scored five in 27 starts, and Isak found three from eight.
The concern was the other end. Liverpool conceded 53 goals, a total bettered by 12 clubs in the division. Van Dijk started all 38 matches in front of a goalkeeping rotation that saw Alisson start 26 and Giorgi Mamardashvili 10.
Sunderland
Sunderland’s season was the story of the Premier League. Seventh place, 54 points, and 14 wins from 38 games represented a considerable overachievement against most pre-season expectations.
They built it on organisation. Sunderland conceded 48 goals, five fewer than Liverpool, with Robin Roefs starting 35 matches in goal. Omar Alderete and Daniel Ballard anchored the defence, while Nordi Mukiele contributed three goals and four assists from full-back.
Goals were shared rather than concentrated. Brian Brobbey top-scored with seven, Wilson Isidor added six from just 11 starts, and Enzo Le Fee provided the creative spark with five goals and six assists from 33 starts. Granit Xhaka chipped in with six assists of his own. Their 42 goals scored is the number they will want to improve.
Liverpool team news
Selection in July is guesswork, and a friendly on a summer tour usually means two distinct XIs. Van Dijk, Szoboszlai and Ibrahima Konate were the most-used players last season, all starting at least 36 league games but Konate has departed for Real Madrid.
The goalkeeping picture is the one to watch. Alisson and Mamardashvili shared the league season, so both may get a half here.
Sunderland team news
Sunderland’s core was remarkably settled. Roefs started 35 games, Trai Hume 34, Le Fee 33 and Xhaka 32, so the spine picks itself when everyone is available.
Isidor’s role is the interesting one. He scored six goals from only 11 starts, which makes him an obvious candidate for a run in a friendly.
Head-to-Head
Recent history says these games are tight. Liverpool have won two and drawn two of the last four meetings, scoring six to Sunderland’s three. Both of last season’s Premier League fixtures were close: a 1-1 draw at Anfield in December, followed by a 1-0 Liverpool win at the Stadium of Light in February. Sunderland have not beaten Liverpool in any of those four, but they have not been beaten heavily either. The last time Liverpool won this fixture by more than a single goal was a 2-0 home victory in November 2016.
Which side will win in Nashville?
Liverpool are the stronger squad and the shorter price, which is why the handicap is where the interest lies. The -1 line is available at 11/8 with QuinnBet, asking Liverpool to win by two goals or more.
That is the bolder of our two bets, and the head-to-head record is a fair warning. But friendlies are not league games, and Liverpool’s ability to introduce a second wave of attackers without weakening is the edge that a 90-minute handicap can exploit.
Szoboszlai to score anytime at 3/1 with bet365 completes the pair. He played more minutes than any Liverpool outfield player except van Dijk last season, scored six and set up seven, and will be central to whatever the manager wants from this fixture. In a game where minutes are the point, back the man who always gets them.
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