Sunderland vs Brighton – News and Probable Lineups

Brighton & Hove Albion aims to capitalize on their excellent form at the start of the new Premier League season as they head to the Stadium of Light for a matchup against Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.

The Seagulls secured all three points in their latest away encounter with the Black Cats in March, with Yankuba Minteh scoring a decisive goal in the second half for a narrow 1-0 win.

Match overview

Sunderland has managed to gather only four points from five Premier League fixtures, but considering how well Regis Le Bris’s motivated side has performed, they will feel justifiably displeased to be sitting at 14th in the standings with such a limited points tally.

Sunderland had a good control during their 1-1 draw with Brentford and held champions Arsenal to a frustrating 2-0 defeat at home before engaging in a thrilling 5-3 loss to leaders Manchester City, an eventful match occurring just before the international break.

In a game where the Black Cats managed to equalize against City twice in the first half, Brian Brobbey became the sixth player to score a Premier League hat-trick while facing defeat, with Le Bris’s team unable to build on their historic 1-0 victory in the Europa League over AZ Alkmaar just days prior.

Looking to avoid a third consecutive Premier League defeat for the first time since their promotion back to the top tier last season, Sunderland has not won any of their last four meetings with Brighton (D1 L3) since their 2-0 home victory as a Championship team back in October 2004.

Nevertheless, the Black Cats may hope that their direct playing style could counteract Brighton’s high pressing strategy, as only Manchester City (19) has experienced fewer high turnovers against them in the Premier League this season than Le Bris’s team (20).

Brighton delivered a standout performance in gameweek five of the Premier League, astonishing champions Arsenal with a 3-0 victory at the Amex Stadium three weeks ago, thanks to goals from Pascal Gross – named Player of the Month for September – Charalampos Kostoulas, and new recruit Chema Anders.

A “special” win celebrated by head coach Fabian Hurzeler has allowed the Seagulls to triumph on home turf against the reigning Premier League champions in each of the past three seasons, following victories over Manchester City in 2024-25 and Liverpool in 2025-26.

Currently sitting third in the standings with 10 points from five matches (W3 D1 L1), Brighton has particularly excelled offensively this season, scoring a league-high total of 16 goals, while also adding seven more across their Conference League and EFL Cup outings.

The Seagulls have managed to hit the back of the net at least three times in six of their eight matches across all competitions this season, yet they have only achieved 3+ goals once in their last 12 meetings with Sunderland – a 3-0 league victory back in November 1988.

Brighton has also been solid defensively and will approach Saturday’s clash with ambitions of securing three consecutive Premier League wins without conceding for the first time since October 2018; they have kept a clean sheet in their last three encounters with the Black Cats.

Team News

Sunderland will be without Brian Brobbey and Daniel Ballard, both sidelined due to hamstring injuries incurred while on international duty, joining Habib Diarra (hamstring) and Romaine Mundle (knee) in recovery.

Wilson Isidor is expected to take Brobbey’s place as the main striker, potentially receiving support from Nilson Angulo and Malick Fofana, who is eager to make his first full Premier League appearance since arriving on deadline day.

Le Bris will consider whether to start Luke O’Nein or Omar Alderete in central defence in the absence of Ballard, or alternatively, shift Nordi Mukiele from right-back into the centre of defence alongside Kevin Danso.

Thomas Meunier and Trai Hume will be vying for a starting spot at right-back, while Reinildo Mandava may step in for Dayann Methalie at left-back after completing a one-match suspension.

For Brighton, Yankuba Minteh (calf), Stefanos Tzimas (knee), Pascal Struijk (thigh), and Evan Ferguson (ankle) all remain unavailable due to injuries.

Lewis Dunk sat out the victory against Arsenal due to a neck injury, but the Seagulls’ captain returned to training early this week and might be prepared to start alongside Luka Vuskovic in central defence.

Jack Hinshelwood (unspecified), Mats Wieffer (knee), Kaoru Mitoma, Femi Azeez (both thigh), Yasin Ayari (illness), and Zadok Yohanna (unspecified) will also be evaluated ahead of the kickoff.

After contributing five goals (three goals, two assists) in his last three games, Charalampos Kostoulas will look to secure another starting role up front on Saturday, which could see Georginio Rutter begin on the bench.

Sunderland probable starting XI:

Roofs; Meunier, Mukiele, Dance, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiq; Fly, And Fee, Angulo; Isidor

Brighton & Hove Albion probable starting XI:

Consume; Kadioglu, Vuskovic, Dunk, Boscagli; Gross, Ayari; Gomez, Yalcoue, De Cuyper; Kostoulas

Brighton has been prolific in front of goal this season, and they will be optimistic about their chances against a Sunderland defence that conceded five goals against Manchester City in their last match and has recorded only one clean sheet in their previous seven Premier League outings.

While the Black Cats possess the tactical ability to pose challenges for Hurzeler’s side, we anticipate that the free-scoring Seagulls will outpace their adversaries and secure maximum points once again.