Sunderland Afternoon Round-Up, Tuesday 13th October 2026: Club Makes Off-Pitch Hire as Europa League Focus Turns to Torreense

Attention has quickly turned to Europe following the weekend's Premier League loss. Sky Sports' analysis of Brighton's form noted that Jaouen Hadjam scored just over five minutes into his debut during their 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday (Sky Sports).

Off the pitch, the Sunderland Echo reports that the club have strengthened their operation with a new hire, though details of the role are still emerging (Sunderland Echo).

There's plenty of Europa League buzz surrounding the Black Cats. The Sunderland Echo has run through what Sunderland's strongest starting XI looks like based on minutes played so far this season, with the club juggling several competitions after qualifying for Europe (Sunderland Echo). Elsewhere, Opta's statistical model has been cited as predicting Sunderland could finish above the likes of AC Milan and Juventus in the final Europa League table, according to the Echo (Sunderland Echo).

Preparations are also under way for Thursday's trip to face Portuguese Cup winners Torreense. The Echo has looked at the referee appointed for the match, highlighting his cards and penalties record (Sunderland Echo), while a separate piece lays out the kick-off time, TV coverage and team news ahead of what will be Sunderland's second league-phase fixture in the competition (Sunderland Echo).</body>

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.