´Different´ Alderete has improved Sunderland´s defence, says Le Bris

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has hailed the impact of Omar Alderete on their defence this season as they continue their push for Europe.

The Black Cats host Nottingham Forest on Friday, and a win would take Le Bris’ side a point behind sixth-placed Brighton ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.

Alderete has impressed in Sunderland’s defence this term, leading the team in blocks (27) and clearances (200) while winning 54.2% of his duels (128/236).

Sunderland have won 11 of the 29 games in which Alderete has featured this season (D8 L10), while winning just one of the four when the centre-back was absent (D2 L1).

“He’s been really good,” said Le Bris about Alderete.

“He’s a bit different. His character, the way he trains every day, his connection with his teammates. He is a bit older and with a different culture.

“His job as a centre-back is probably a bit different then a midfielder, a striker or winger but he’s been really important to us and the way we want to play.

“When the opponent wants to go direct, he is really good at managing duels and long balls inside the box. He has this ability to defend and doesn’t need to force it.

“He likes defending the box. His left foot is really good too.

“Sometimes, he can be without a good level of energy to give the right tempo but it’s because he is so skilled so it’s easy for him. I think he has improved this part during the season.”

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Forest took another step towards retaining their Premier League status with a 4-1 win over Burnley last weekend.

However, the Tricky Trees did suffer a blow after centre-back Murillo was forced off with a muscle injury.

Forest boss Vitor Pereira revealed Murillo will miss their trip to Sunderland and does not know when the Brazilian will return.

“He is out. We will see. It is a muscle injury,” said Pereira.

“I’m not a doctor, I cannot predict [the duration of his injury], but he will be out. I think it will be more than one game.”

And on Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has been ruled out for the season, Pereira added: “He is OK after the surgery.

“He is an important player for us, but the most important thing is for him to fully recover and come back at the level he used to have.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sunderland – Chris Rigg

Chris Rigg became Sunderland’s third-youngest Premier League scorer in their 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa (18y 305d), behind Michael Bridges (18y 117d) and Connor Wickham (18y 212d).

Only Jordan Henderson (23), Julio Arca (15) and Sean Thornton (11) have more starts as a teenager than Rigg (10).

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White

After his hat-trick against Burnley, Morgan Gibbs-White has six goals in his last six Premier League appearances, as many as he scored in his previous 28 games combined.

He’s averaging a goal every 101 minutes under Pereira, the best ratio by any Forest player with 2+ goals under a manager in the Premier League.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

This is Sunderland’s first home league game against Forest since a 1-0 defeat in September 2017, and first in the Premier League since a 1-1 draw in March 1997.

Forest have lost five of their last six league games against Sunderland, with the exception being the 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light in September 2017.

However, Forest have won two of their last three Premier League games (D1), as many as in their previous 14 combined (D5 L7). They are looking for consecutive wins for the first time since November when they beat Leeds United and Liverpool.

Only Crystal Palace’s Premier League games (71) have seen fewer goals this season than Sunderland’s (76), with their 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa last time out making up 9% of the goals scored in games involving the Black Cats in 2025-26.

Sunderland have never won a Premier League game on a Friday (P3 D2 L1), the only day of the week they are yet to win on. They could be the 21st team to win on all seven days in the competition.

Pereira, meanwhile, has won eight of his 13 Premier League matches across March and April with Wolves and Forest (D4 L1), averaging 2.15 points per game. In all other months, he has won just four out of 26 games (D4 L18), averaging 0.62 points per game.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Sunderland – 39.2%

Draw – 26.6%

Nottingham Forest – 34.2%