Sunderland vs Brighton – News and Probable Lineups

Two sides from the Premier League looking to push their way back into the top half of the standings will meet at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon, as Sunderland takes on Brighton & Hove Albion.

The earlier encounter at the Amex Stadium ended in a stalemate as neither Sunderland nor Brighton could find the back of the net in December.

Match overview

With nine matches remaining in the 2025-26 season, Sunderland’s focus is solely on the Premier League after an “embarrassing” 1-0 defeat against League One’s last-place team, Port Vale, in the FA Cup fifth round last weekend.

Sunderland has had difficulties in securing positive outcomes lately, but they managed to snap a four-game winless streak in the league (L1 L3) with a 1-0 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road earlier this month, thanks to a second-half penalty by Habib Diarra.

Head coach Regis Le Bris is eager for his team to regain the ‘desire and fighting spirit’ that was absent against Port Vale, as they aim to build on achieving the 40-point mark in the Premier League and attempt a late challenge for European spots.

Positioned 11th in the league and four points adrift of seventh-placed Brentford, Sunderland has only managed to score 10 goals in the Premier League in 2026 – with only Aston Villa (nine) scoring fewer – while Burnley (-9) and Tottenham (-11) are the only teams with a worse goal difference this year compared to the Black Cats (-6).

Having lost their last two home outings in the Premier League after being unbeaten in their initial 12 this season (W7 D5), Sunderland can find some solace in the fact that they have triumphed in their last five home league matches against Brighton and remain unbeaten in nine encounters against the Seagulls (W7 D2) since their last defeat, which was 2-1 in April 1981.

Brighton could not continue their momentum from back-to-back wins against Brentford (2-0) and Nottingham Forest (2-1) as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Premier League leaders Arsenal last Wednesday.

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler expressed his displeasure regarding the time-wasting tactics employed by the Gunners, asserting that his Brighton team was the sole side trying to play football during that match. The Seagulls held 60% possession and attempted over three times as many shots on goal, yet they ended up with their 10th defeat of the Premier League season.

Brighton’s matches have seen a scarcity of goals, as they have not scored or conceded more than two in any of their last 15 Premier League fixtures since their 4-3 loss against Aston Villa in early December. In fact, the Seagulls have had fewer goals scored in their matches than any other team during this time frame (30 total – 14 for, 16 against).

Currently, Brighton occupies the 14th position in the top-flight standings, sitting 11 points clear of the relegation zone and seven points behind seventh place. A strong finishing run is essential for them to sustain their hopes of European qualification.

Unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League encounters with promoted teams (W5 D6), Brighton heads into Saturday’s match against Sunderland looking to improve their poor record, having secured just one victory in their past eight league clashes with the Black Cats (D2 L5) – a 2-1 home win in the Championship back in February 2005.

Team News

Sunderland will be missing Robin Roefs, Romaine Mundle (both hamstring), Nordi Mukiele (calf), Reinildo Mandava, Bertrand Traore (both knee), and Jocelin Ta Bi (ankle) due to injuries. Furthermore, Brian Brobbey (groin) and Dennis Cirkin (hamstring) will undergo evaluations before the match.

Trai Hume and Noah Sadiki are both available to return from suspension; Hume is expected to start in defence alongside Daniel Ballard, who has had more touches in the opposition box than any other Black Cats player in the Premier League this season (64) – the only defender with more in the league this term is Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber (90).

Eliezer Mayenda is anticipated to lead the attack, while Granit Xhaka, Sadiki, and Diarra are positioned to form the midfield trio as Enzo Le Fee, Nilson Angulo, and Chemsdine Talbi vie for starting roles on the flanks.

On the Brighton side, Stefanos Tzimas and Adam Webster (both knee) are still out, while Kaoru Mitoma (ankle), Lewis Dunk (knee), and Solly March (unspecified) are all considerations and will require assessment.

The potential absence of Mitoma would likely lead to Yankuba Minteh being recalled to play on the left wing; only Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku (63) has made more ball carries into the penalty area than the Gambian in the Premier League this season (61).

Olivier Boscagli may partner Jan Paul van Hecke at centre-back if Dunk is unavailable, while Hurzeler will need to decide whether to start former Sunderland striker Danny Welbeck or Georginio Rutter in the forward position.

Sunderland probable starting XI:

Ellborg; Gertrude, Ballard, Alderete, Hume; Xhaka, Sadiki; Talbi, Diarra, Le Fee; Trends

Brighton & Hove Albion probable starting XI:

Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Finally, They were; Gomez, Gross, Minteh; Welbeck

These two mid-table teams have faced challenges in maintaining consistency recently. It could be another low-scoring match, but we predict Sunderland will manage to secure a home victory, frustrating Brighton’s attempts to score.