Brighton vs Sunderland Predictions

• Brighton have won four of their eight home games, losing just once.
• Sunderland have four defeats in their eight trips.
• The Black Cats have failed to score in five of their Premier League road games.

Brighton looking to end mini slump

Brighton’s European bid has faltered a little after a run of just one point from their last three games ahead of the visit of key rivals Sunderland on Saturday.

Incredibly, this is the first meeting between these two teams since an EFL Cup game way back in 2011 but this season they both find themselves challenging for the European spots heading into Christmas. Brighton sit in 10th spot but they are only three points adrift of Crystal Palace in fifth, while Sunderland are in eighth place and only behind the Eagles on goal difference.

The Wearside outfit make the long trip to the south coast on the back of a huge derby win over Newcastle, winning 1-0 at the Stadium of Light last time out. That result should give them a massive confidence boost but they have been inconsistent on their travels and may struggle to back up that victory with a positive result at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton can pick up the points

Brighton have been generally strong at home this season with four wins in eight games. Their only defeat has come against title challengers Aston Villa and they were perhaps unlucky to only draw against West Ham in their last home assignment, despite needing a late equaliser to claim a share of the spoils.

Sunderland have enjoyed most of their success on home soil. Regis Le Bris’ side have picked up two wins on their travels, with their last victory coming at Chelsea back in October. Since that triumph at Stamford Bridge, Sunderland have one point to show from three trips – although that run has included games at Anfield and Manchester City.

Brighton are a fairly short price to win but a straightforward home win still looks the best angle for our main bet. Albion have picked up wins over Newcastle and Manchester City at this season, while Sunderland have struggled for goals on their travels with just four scored in eight games – failing to score in five of their road games.

Sunderland may draw another road blank

Backing a home win to nil is another angle if you want to push this game a little further, but as Brighton have only managed one clean sheet at the Amex I’ve opted against that as my main tip. That thinking comes into play with our correct score bet of a 2-0 Seagulls win, however, as the hosts are scoring on average exactly two goals per-game at home and two of Sunderland’s road defeats have been 2-0 losses.

Brighton’s Georginio Rutter stands out as a potential scorer after he opened his Premier League account for the season in the 1-1 draw with West Ham. The 23-year-old Frenchman has been getting plenty of chances as he’s had 11 shots in total across his last four home games and can build on the strike against the Hammers with a goal against Sunderland.