Sunderland vs Rennes: pre-season preview, team news and likely line-ups
· Blake Burns; VAVEL com · 2026-08-13T16:14:51+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Spanish striker Eliezer Mayenda is set to return to the Stadium of Light after his summer move to the French club.
Rennes paid £21.5million for the 21-year-old Spain U21 international. Mayenda struggled for minutes in the Premier League, making just eight starts, playing 756 minutes, the 10th lowest in the squad.
The Spaniard became the third choice striker despite starting the opening three games. Brian Brobbey played 1,934 minutes and Wilson Isidor registered 1,159 minutes.
Eliezer Mayenda celebrating winning the 2024-25 Championship play-off final with Sunderland (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Team News
Sunderland
Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete are set to miss out but could be fit to feature against Ipswich in the Premier League opener.
New signing Thomas Meunier impressed in the victory over Lens and is likely to start at right-back.
Romaine Mundle missed the game in France due to a knock and Simon Adingra is ruled out after suffering an injury against Wrexham, leaving him in a boot, which could rule out a potential summer exit for the Ivorian.
Trai Hume is set to continue from the right wing after scoring the opener in the victory over Lens on Saturday.
Chris Rigg is likely to start from the bench but has impressed during pre-season both in midfield and on the right. The 19-year-old assisted Hume's header at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Rennes
Franck Haise’s side head to the Stadium of the Light on the back of a 4-2 defeat to fellow Premier League side Brentford.
Midfielder Jordan James is reportedly linked with a move to Wolves after spending last season on loan with Leicester.
Charlie Cresswell recently joined Les Rouge on a loan deal from Toulouse; the centre-back played 64 minutes against the Bees.
Mayenda will receive a warm welcome to Wearside, where he spent three years scoring 12 goals, including the equaliser in the play-off final and the Black Cats' first Premier League goal after eight years.
Like Le Bris, Haise likes his sides to play out from the back, with the goalkeeper and defenders drawing in the press to create attacking opportunities.
Likely line-ups
Sunderland: Roefs; Meunier. Ballard, O’Nien, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki; Hume, Le Fee, Talbi; Brobbey
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Rennes: Belazzoug; Frankowski, Bourigeaud, Cresswell, Nagida; Rongier, Thomasson, Szymanski, Soumaré; Blas, Lepaul
Formation: 4-4-2
Key players
Sunderland – Trai Hume
The Northern Ireland captain caused huge problems for Lens last time out, scoring the opener after seeing his volley strike the crossbar in the first half.
With Sunderland yet to buy a right winger and Chemsdine Talbi impressing from the left, it’s looking increasingly likely Hume will start on the right wing at Portman Road in just over a week's time.
Hume made 11 appearances at right wing last season, scoring the opener against Chelsea on the final day.
The defender's versatility has been key during his time on Wearside, playing each position at the back, as well as right midfield. Hume often becomes an inverted midfielder, allowing Mukiele to overlap.
Hume's link-up play with Mukiele against Wrexham led to the winner. The full-back drove forward and picked out Brobbey, who laid the ball to Mukiele before slotting past Arthur Okonkwo.
Rennes - Esteban Lepaul
The 26-year-old striker joined Les Rouge last summer, completing a £14million move from Angers.
Lepaul netted 21 times in 37 appearances last season, finishing as the top goalscorer in the French top-flight.
He scored 57% of his goals with his right foot but also netted three headers and three penalties. The battle between Lepaul and Dan Ballard could be one to watch on Saturday.
The striker also registered five assists as Rennes qualified for the Europa League with a sixth-place finish.
Lepaul has played four games in pre-season, scoring five goals including a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with Galatasaray.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The match is being held at the Stadium of Light, the home of Sunderland.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is 3pm BST and 4pm in France.
How can I watch?
The match is available to watch on SAFC.com.