Leeds’ Gudmundsson Aims for Sunderland Revenge After Strong Start

Gabriel Gudmundsson sounds like a man who has come through the early-season grind and liked what he’s seen – in himself and in Leeds United.

Seven games in, one defeat, seventh in the Premier League. For a club that only secured survival last season, this is not a bad place to be. Inside the camp, though, the mood is less about surprise and more about momentum.

“I’m feeling good,” the 27-year-old told BBC Radio Leeds, a simple line that carries a lot of weight for a player who opened the campaign in the treatment room. A hamstring injury kept the left-back out of the first two matches, but the rhythm is back now, sharpened by valuable minutes during the international break.

Those games, he says, were “important” in getting him up to speed. You can hear the relief. He’s not just fit; he feels fully plugged into a Leeds side that has carried last season’s resilience into something more ambitious.

From Survival to Expectation

Leeds finished 14th under Daniel Farke last term, a position that felt like a triumph after a season spent glancing anxiously over their shoulders. That escape has changed the mood around Elland Road. So have the standards.

“Expectations from last season going into this season were higher,” Gudmundsson admitted. “People outside are now expecting us to get points from every game.”

That’s the shift. Leeds are no longer simply trying to cling on. They are being judged on what they can take, not just what they can avoid losing.

Inside the dressing room, that external pressure seems to have fused with a growing inner belief. “We feel good, are confident at the moment, and are physically strong,” he said. The language is straightforward, but it paints a picture of a squad that trusts its work and its legs.

They have reason to. Leeds have lost only once in the league so far and have come through two demanding recent fixtures against top opposition with mixed emotions: pride in their level, frustration at what slipped away.

“We had two tough games lately,” Gudmundsson said, “but also that we feel a little bit disappointed to not win against these top teams shows the ambition we have.” That disappointment is telling. Leeds are no longer content with gallant efforts. They want scalps.

Building Step by Step

Farke’s summer business has helped. Gudmundsson pointed to the “good lads” who arrived in the window, reinforcing a core that had already proved it could cope with the division’s intensity. The message from the defender is clear: this is an evolution, not a reset.

“It’s keeping building on what we did last season,” he said. “It is about building step-by-step. We are in a good path.”

The phrasing may be slightly rough around the edges, but the idea isn’t. Leeds see a clear line from last season’s survival to this season’s push for something more stable, more assertive. Seventh after seven games is a snapshot, not a destination.

Sunderland Away: A Score To Settle

Next comes Sunderland away on Sunday, a fixture that still stings. The Black Cats, promoted alongside Leeds, outshone them last season, finishing seventh and grabbing a European place. Leeds, by contrast, took just a single point from the head-to-head meetings – a 1-1 draw away and a 1-0 defeat at home.

For a side that prides itself on progress, those results linger.

“Sunderland away is always difficult and we know that we have to be strong,” Gudmundsson said. He didn’t dress it up. He didn’t need to. The Stadium of Light can be a brutal place to chase a result when the home crowd senses weakness.

Leeds don’t travel north just to cope with the atmosphere. They travel with a score to settle.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but also we definitely want to have revenge from last time we were there,” he added. The memory of that draw still irritates him. “We were the better team and should have won that game, so you really want to go there and get something out of it this weekend.”

That word – revenge – is not used lightly. It speaks to a squad that measures itself against the clubs that finished above them, not just those below.

A Crucial Stretch Ahead

The Sunderland trip is not a one-off test, either. It’s the start of a demanding little run that will say plenty about how far Leeds have really come. After Sunday, they head to Bournemouth, another awkward away day and another club comfortable trading punches at this level.

“That will be massive for us going into Bournemouth the weekend after which is another really tough away game,” Gudmundsson said.

Two hostile grounds. Back-to-back long journeys. A team riding confidence but still proving, week after week, that last season’s survival was the foundation, not the peak.

Leeds have put themselves on what Gudmundsson calls “a good path.” Sunderland away will show whether they’re ready to turn that path into a genuine push up the table – or whether last season’s frustrations in this fixture still have one more chapter to write.