John Wade says…
Brighton are a good side and have shown over their last two excellent performances that they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Despite this, my Brighton-supporting friends aren’t assuming they will get anything from this game and have said they would happily take a point and move on. Their main concern was whether Brobbey is fit to play and, to be honest, I’d be delighted if he is available, but if not, I’m happy we have enough in the squad to cope.
I can see a good game unfolding. Both teams are good footballing
sides and, especially against Brentford and Manchester City, we’ve shown we can attack and cause problems. We will definitely need to be careful not to be too gung-ho, as they’ve scored eight without reply in their last two games.
I can’t see Le Bris sending us out to be quite as attacking as we were at City. We know how pragmatic he is, and I see him doing his usual and trying to win the tactical battle rather than going for the throat. It would certainly be good to get some points on the board, but even if we don’t win, I think we can all see the strides made already this season and I’m not worried at all about being in any trouble.
We are still a good side with many talented individuals. Of course, it will be a blow if Brobbey or Ballard are unavailable, but Isidor is in excellent form and seems confident. We also have options at the back – Mukiele, Alderete and Danso can cover Ballard. Up top, Isidor and our newly capped international Juangulo will be brilliant options.
Lars Knutsen says…
There is no doubt that Brighton are a decent side, having demolished Arsenal 3-0 in mid-September at the Amex Stadium. They currently lie third in the Premier League and are the division’s top scorers with 16 goals in five games.
This makes the fixture look quite daunting, but I see established Premier League teams like Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth as our peers, partly because we did well against them last season. They are well-run clubs, are generally fearless and hard to beat, and overall they do seem to cope well with the constant change which is dictated by football at this level.
Having said that, Sunderland are a bigger club than any of this trio, and we need to keep illustrating that by showing up well on Saturday. I get it that injuries are a worry, but we made great additions to our squad over the summer, which adds several significant strings to Le Bris’s bow.
I would expect a tight game, but I don’t see a repeat of last year’s strange defeat when we were caught out by the second-half goal from Minteh. I am anticipating a tight but deserved victory for the Lads.
Owen Sara says…
This is a tricky one… Brighton are a VERY good team and started the season excellently. We have seen how effective we are going forward and, despite knowing what we now know, went toe-to-toe with the best team in the country. Particularly at home, we should be looking to control the game and spend a good proportion of it on the front foot.
I do feel we are at our best when we attack teams, and the confidence Brobbey and Isidor should have, alongside the link-up with Le Fée, should serve us well. We should not be surprised to see Régis throw a spanner in the works and have something totally unexpected up his sleeve. He will no doubt have spent the past three weeks maximising his preparation and, based on who will be available, will have ways to exploit their weaknesses.
I do think if we play aggressively and on the front foot, we can exploit their lack of pace at the back. If we decide to press and get it wrong, they are well coached enough to pick us off with a couple of passes.
Malc Dugdale says…
I think with this being a home game, and after the disappointment of zero points from two games against the two challengers for the title, Régis will be a bit more aggressive than he may have been. If we got two points from those games, he may have been less driven to get our own back… That two-point return was what I think the effort deserved.
The injuries to Brobbey and Ballard will hit us (and I’m still hoping the Brobbey one was precautionary and he can play, if not at the weekend then very soon). But Wilson has had a cracker of an international break, and this could be a great chance for Juan Angulo too.
Let’s go for it. Home form is crucial and we can beat these.
If we can do what we did against the top two, the world’s our oyster.
Ben McKevitt says…
I personally can’t see a repeat of City coming. To me, that was a one-off free hit and we almost gave the Etihad an almighty shock. Régis always has a plan for the individual game and individual event, and I don’t expect this to be any different in that regard, but I think it’ll be a more pragmatic approach overall.
Home form is essential this season, just as much as last, so getting some momentum going at the SoL is a top priority. I don’t think Régis will mind how he gets that momentum as long as he gets it.
The injury situation is bad but not critical at the moment, given that Wilson can fill in for Brobbey and Ballard can be shuffled out with any number of combinations replacing him at the back. My main concern would be continuing the excellent performances we had begun to put together, especially considering our disappointing start to the season following our players’ returns from the World Cup.
Overall, I see a strong but measured performance coming on Saturday against a tactically impressive and on-form Brighton who could easily punish any over-exertion or error on our side.
Jon Guy says…
I am expecting a really tactical contest.
Brighton have been playing exceptionally well, so there is no doubt that Régis and the coaching team will have spent the break looking at how we can exploit any flaws that Brighton have shown.
I also think that the injury situation will dictate how we set up for the game.
Thankfully, it looks like Wilson is fit and in form, but we don’t as yet know the fitness of those returning from the international break.
That said, I think the squad will be confident given the way we have been playing, so I think we will look to get on the front foot early.
Two good sides in decent form, so I expect it will be a very decent game with both sides looking to be positive.
We need a win to build on, and I fancy us to win a tight contest.
