Martin Wanless predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Brighton 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Le Fee
After last weekend’s horror show at Port Vale, the lads have a point to prove, and I can see us turning in a committed and determined display here.
We should have a couple of players back from injury, which will help, and they’ll be fired up by last weekend’s appalling display.
It won’t be easy, Brighton are a good side, but we’ve got enough to overcome them. 2-0.
‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Brighton 1
Sunderland’s first
goalscorer: Le Fee
The Lads let themselves down last weekend, but home is where the heart is, and we need to get something from this to reinstate confidence ahead of the Mags.
Brighton will not be a walk in the park – they won away at Brentford in late Feb, keeping a clean sheet in the process. They also knocked Man Utd out of the cup away from home recently, and earned a point with a draw away at Man City.
I am backing the lads to get a point, and Le Fee to get the goal.
He and Diarra seem to be swapping penalty duties, and in a tight game, it may be set pieces such as pens or free kicks that make the difference, both of which Enzo is in the hat for.
Jack Howe-Gingell predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Brighton 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Le Fee
Last week was such a massive shame. We simply weren’t at it and deservedly crashed out, with what would have been a wonderful opportunity to progress in the cup.
We need to bounce back, and I’m sure the lads will be conscious about standards slipping. I’d like us to get back into attacking the league and trying to finish as highly as possible.
Brighton have been tootling along similarly to us this season, and are the classic solid Premier League outfit. Like us, they don’t travel well, so I’d hope that would give us a slight edge.
Understandably, we will need a massive improvement from Sunday’s misery, but I have no doubt the lads will respond in kind, with a more tenacious display and three points for the home crowd.
Will Jones predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Brighton 2
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brobbey
Brighton are never an easy side to play against. They move the ball well, keep possession, and seem to create chances from nowhere if you give them time.
The Stadium of Light should make it a proper contest, though. We’ve shown plenty of fight at home, and we’ll make them work for anything they get.
I fancy Brobbey to get on the scoresheet for us, but Brighton’s quality might just edge it over the 90 minutes. Hopefully, we push them all the way.
Matty Foster predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Brighton 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Diarra
Sunday was truly abysmal, and the sooner we put that behind us, the better.
Up next are Brighton, who sit three points behind us in the table, with an almost identical record.
They’re poorer on the road and have only won three out of fourteen away from the Amex.
With survival essentially secured with that magical 40 points, I hope it sees us play with shackles off and push for a top-half finish.
It’s a tough one to predict, but any result other than defeat will at least set us up for our trip into that cesspit next week.
Anthony Gair predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Brighton 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Diarra
Having been embarrassed by bottom of League One Port Vale at the weekend, our mighty red and white wizards will be out to prove to us that they’re not as hopeless as it appeared in the cup.
Brighton won’t underestimate us, but they’re not very good either at the moment, so I expect them to score, but succumb to our grafting legends.
First to bag for the Wizards will be Habib Diarra, who was dreadful against Port Vale and will be up for proving himself again.
Gary Winter predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Brighton 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Le Fee
The sooner we can move on after last weekend’s humiliating cup exit, the better. It was so disappointing and such a missed opportunity. We really need to get a win today and finish the season strongly. Whilst we definitely can, coming off the back of that performance at Vale Park, I’m finding it difficult to back us getting 3 points this afternoon.
Brighton’s form is similar to ours, and their away record is nothing to write home about, but they have beaten Brentford on the road recently, which is no mean feat. It feels mad that Danny Welbeck is still doing the business at 35 – hopefully he’s not the latest former player to come back and find the net.
A defeat will only continue the sour mood, so I’ll take a point here. We’re struggling for goals, and Le Fee feels like one of the only players capable of putting the team on his back at the moment.
Brett Lyons-Davis predicts…
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Brighton 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Le Fee
Well, Sunday was crap. Hopefully, the lads will be going all out to get 3 points to make sure our great season doesn’t fizzle out.
Brighton have been up and down recently and will be hoping to get themselves to the 40 points mark sooner rather than later.
This one will be close, but I can see the lads putting Sunday to bed and getting us in good spirits before the mags.
Last time out…
That was a bit of “after the Lord Mayor’s show” wasn’t it? We shit-housed Leeds for three points like a bunch of legends, then went to Port Vale in the cup, and we didn’t really show up at all.
Hardly a lad out on the paddock resembled the grit and battle we had in spades at Elland Road, but cup upsets are called that for a reason, and now we are established in the top flight, we have to get used to being a target for underdogs to try their luck with.
Today, it is back to the main course of the Premier League, and with Brighton visiting, we cannot be anything other than in our best form if we want to get some points on the board before visiting the unwashed next weekend.
Last game predictions…
There is no getting away from it; we all got it drastically wrong, and we didn’t score at all, so no points at all for anyone.
Nuff said, we move on.
Predictions table and standings
Malc takes a narrow lead at the top of the table after Will was late with his submission twice in 12 days, resulting in a 2-point deduction.
No change other than that, though the points dropped by Will also put him within a 3 or four-pointer of Gary and Brett, who will be keen to haul him this weekend.
How the points are awarded
Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:
- Correct score = Three points
- Correct outcome (but not correct score) = One point
- Correct first Sunderland goalscorer = One point (no goalscorer is a valid call)
- Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = a two-point deduction.
