Manchester City host Sunderland on Sunday, 20 September 2026 at the Etihad Stadium in a Premier League match that has been rescheduled. The league moved the fixture from 19 September at 15:00 BST to 20 September at 14:00 BST because City play in the EFL Cup third round on Thursday, 17 September.

The official notice, published on 28 August, also states that the match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. It is a Matchweek 5 game in the 2026/27 season, not a friendly and not a result already played.

The clubs start with different objectives. City play at home in a well-known stadium; Sunderland need points to consolidate their league position. A gap in resources does not settle the score before kick-off.

The visitors may spend long spells without the ball. Organisation between the lines, set pieces and transitions will matter more than raw possession. The hosts must avoid impatience: a controlled match can still open up through a counterattack or a lapse at a corner.

Squads, injuries and any further timing change should be checked in Premier League and club communications. This account does not name a starting eleven and does not forecast a result.

In the same Sunday window the league has also placed other matches at 14:00 BST, including Bournemouth v Liverpool. The Matchweek 5 timetable was revised after the cup round; the 20 September date and time should therefore be read from the updated notice, not from the original summer calendar.

Tickets and stadium access remain a matter for the clubs. Sunderland supporters are typically housed in the South Stand; sale details should be confirmed through official channels, not guessed from demand.

Until kick-off the stake is ordinary and concrete: three points in a long season. The rearrangement shows how tight the English calendar is in September, when league and cup overlap.

Photo: Arne Müseler / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE. City of Manchester Stadium (Etihad), 2023. A stadium photograph, not from the Sunderland match. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Manchester City v Sunderland match moved to a new date (Premier League); Manchester City; Sunderland AFC.