Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka is raring for the Black Cats' first Europa League clash of the 2026/27 campaign.
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka is set to lead his Black Cats teammates into the Europa League campaign with their opening league phase clash against AZ Alkmaar at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday evening.
Xhaka captained Sunderland to their first European football qualification in over 50 years at the end of last season, and now the Swiss veteran is set to be the figurehead for Regis Le Bris' side as usual, with the current Eredivisie leaders on the horizon.
The Black Cats head into the game following their 2-0 defeat at home to Arsenal on Saturday evening, but they will be buoyed by their admirable performance against the reigning Premier League champions.
Opponents AZ Alkmaar journey to Sunderland in impressive form, sitting top of the Dutch top flight having won five of their first six games this season and scoring 17 goals in the process, but their form does not phase Xhaka.
Ahead of the eagerly anticipated fixture, in which nearly 49,000 Sunderland supporters will be cheering on the Black Cats, Xhaka set the tone for the evening with a demand in typical leader's fashion.
Granit Xhaka Issues Sunderland Demand For AZ Alkmaar Clash
Xhaka himself has previously reached two Europa League finals in his illustrious career, and is now hoping to reach that feat with Sunderland, with their voyage starting with a major Stadium of Light event, in which the Swiss star hopes will be an inevitably raucous atmosphere.
Ahead of the AZ Alkmaar clash, Xhaka told the pre-game press conference: "I want to see the stadium on fire and our players on fire.
“We know we wrote something historic last season and now we can start to feel the excitement. The stadium will be on fire tomorrow.
“We deserve to be where we are. There is nothing better than competing in European football.”
Regarding Wednesday evening's opponents, who head to Sunderland as leaders of their domestic division, Xhaka noted "how good" AZ are, but he made clear that the Black Cats faithful are the main priority.
Sunderland captain Xhaka added: “We know how good AZ are, but we are playing at home. We want to bring joy to our fans.
“European football is different to the Premier League, and it is challenging, but the mood is very positive.
"We need to separate the Premier League and Europa League and prepare in the right way.”
Granit Xhaka in training for Sunderland before AZ Alkmaar clash (Action Images via Reuters)Granit Xhaka Shares Europa League Dream With Sunderland Fans
If you had asked any Sunderland fan ahead of last season whether Europa League qualification was on the cards, not even the most diehard supporter would have predicted in their wildest dreams.
Last season, Le Bris' Sunderland side turned that dream into reality, and now the next fairytale chapter would be venturing towards the knockout stages.
With Xhaka having lost two Europa League finals previously, with Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen, he shares the trophy-winning dream that all Sunderland fans do.
“I have played in two Europa League finals and lost twice, so for me it is a big dream to get to another final,” Xhaka concluded.
“We are ready mentally and physically. If we have the right mentality and desire, we can make it a very special night.”
Sunderland's home clash against AZ kicks off at 8:00pm BST, in what is poised to be a sell-out, momentous occasion.
