Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has promised an "electric" atmosphere as the club prepares to return to European football for the first time in 53 years, hosting AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League. The match is a landmark moment for the Wearside club, whose last continental outing came in the 1973 European Cup Winners' Cup, and reflects Sunderland's rapid rise after securing a seventh-place Premier League finish following promotion, only their second European campaign in the club's history.

A near-49,000 crowd is expected at the Stadium of Light, with Xhaka, who has lost two Europa League finals with Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen, saying he turned down Chelsea this summer partly to chase European glory with Sunderland. Manager Régis Le Bris says his side, who will also face a game against Milan in December, must balance Premier League survival with ambition in Europe, while they face an in-form AZ side unbeaten in their opening Eredivisie matches.