Wednesday 28th October 2026
Sunderland v Brentford – League Cup Fourth Round
Stadium of Light – Kick-Off: 19:45
Match Coverage
TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via Sky Sports+.
Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)
Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.sbnation.com!
The build-up…
Our League Cup history has been pretty crap, if we’re honest. Just eight appearances in the quarter-finals of the competition since it began in 1961 and not having won
it at all.
In a parallel universe, we’d have started this Premier League campaign a little better, and there would have been a little more excitement about the prospect of reaching the last-eight of one of the few domestic trophies there is to try and win each season. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
When compared with the same stage of the competition when we eventually got to the final, only just under 16,000 people turned up at the Stadium of Light to see us beat Southampton. Again, we weren’t doing too well in the league at that time either.
Before we kicked off against Ipswich Town, a decent cup run was quite high up on the agenda for this season, but after eight Premier League games, that ambition may need to be downgraded. It does mean, however, that the line-up, performance and ultimately the result will be viewed in the context of how it can help us on Saturday against Coventry.
Of course, we want to see us win any game, but if you had a choice of going out with a cracking performance and no injuries vs going through but having three or four players out until after Christmas, you’d have to really consider which avenue to go down.
As it is though, we have a chance to go through to the quarter-final, and that’s nothing to be sniffed at.
The betting…
The bookies have the Lads at 23/10 to win the game, while Brentford are 21/10 for the victory, and the draw is 23/10.
Head-to-head… at Sunderland
(All competitive competitions)
- Sunderland wins: 6
- Draws: 1
- Brentford wins: 3
- Sunderland goals: 19
- Brentford goals: 14
Last time we met… in the League Cup
Wednesday 26th October 1960
League Cup – 2nd Round
Griffin Park
Brentford 4-3 Sunderland
[Towers 4’, Heath 52, Rainford 68’,75’ – McPheat 5’, Lawther 27’, Fogarty 41’]
Sunderland: Wakeham, Nelson, Ashurst, Anderson, Hurley, McNab, Hooper, Fogarty, Lawther, McPheat, Dillon
Brentford: Cakebread, Wilson, Coote, Peplow, Dargie, Higginson, Heath, Rainford, Summers, Towers, McLeod
Attendance: 10,400
Prediction…
Sunderland 1-1 Brentford – Sunderland to win on pens.
Brentford love a draw this season, and I just have a feeling that two rotated sides will cancel each other out.
