Martin Wanless predicts…
Score prediction: Brentford 1 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
Another game, another draw!
It’ll be a tough game today – Brentford are in form and are coming in off the back of an excellent
win at Everton.
We’re still down to bare bones, playing a fourth game in ten days or so, but we should see Dan Ballard back in the lineup.
I fancy us to get a point here, which will be a great result.
‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts…
Score prediction: Brentford 1 Sunderland 3
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
While we ground out another hard earned point against Spurs, Brentford were busy stuffing Everton, so the performances of the two sides have been equally impressive of late, especially given the challenges they have both endured – ourselves with both injuries and the AFCON attrition, and Brentford being pillaged pre season and being suggested to be in the bottom 3 rather than the top ten.
At some point, though, our lads are going to click, and they looked like they may well do that in the second half at Spurs, where we came back from a losing position to look the most likely side to nick a win.
Mr Brobbey will be brimming with confidence after that “Thunderb*stard” against Tottenham, so I’m backing him to open our account. With Ballard back, if we do get more than one, you can bet your last shirt he will be involved in some way.
Brobbey, Ballard, and Granit would be a perfect trio of goals to silence Henderson’s new red and white army and its fans on a cold winter’s night under the lights.
Jack Howe-Gingell predicts…
Score prediction: Brentford 1 Sunderland 2
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fée
We’re doing so well this season, and our toughest run hasn’t bowled us over. Despite that, another stern test awaits from in-form Brentford, at the second in a series of three first-time grounds for us.
Brentford will be looking to avenge our last-minute heroics in the reverse fixture, with plenty of attacking threat to choose from after scoring the goals in their last four games. Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade seem obvious names to focus on, but Brentford are well-drilled overall, and it will be a tough game away from home.
If we can mustera similar spirit to our second-half performance against Tottenham, I feel like we could upset the hosts, but it will be a big ask after tiring fixtures, our third in 6 days.
A likely return for Dan Ballard will at least free up the cultured Lutsharel Geertruida to help out further up, and give Nordi Mukiele some licence to roam, and I think that might just give us the edge for three points.
Will Jones predicts…
Score prediction: Brentford 0 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fee
Another tiring draw and still no lads back from AFCON. But this is the final push, so it’s another one of those nights where everyone else has to dig a bit deeper.
Cold midweek away, tight pitch, Brentford buzzing around like wasps – exactly the sort of game where you win it by being stubborn rather than slick.
Brentford are a different beast from last time. Toward the top half, Thiago is scoring for fun, and Schade is returning a lot of goals, and nobody is underestimating their man in the dugout.
Ballard being back makes a world of difference, Geertruida can step in and keep things tidy, and Le Fée feels the likeliest to produce that one moment of calm in a scrappy match.
Matty Foster predicts…
Score prediction: Brentford 1 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fee
30 points after 20 games is a fantastic return, and we’ve weathered what was supposed to be a difficult run with aplomb.
Brentford’s high position is predominantly through their excellent home form.
They’ve lost once there all season, losing narrowly to Man City.
I feel this is a tougher game than Spurs was, for that reason alone.
I had Brentford down to struggle before a ball was kicked, but struggle they have not.
They come off an excellent win against Everton, boasting a potent attack.
Are we in for another draw? With so many games in quick succession and still being light on numbers, I would take it right now.
Anthony Gair predicts…
Score prediction: Brentford 1 Sunderland 2
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
On the back of that wonderful draw against Spurs (I don’t care what you say, it’s a magnificent result), we’ll go into this tired, but desperate to get three points.
Brentford are obviously a very well-drilled side, but we’ve already shown that we can pounce on their frailties in the middle of the park – as long as we can put the ball into the net!
This lot can defend, though, but they’re coming off a great result against Everton. Thiago needs to be watched.
Shame there’s only three days until this one since the last game too, as our lads quite obviously need a rest.
Gary Winter predicts…
Score prediction: Brentford 2 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
After coming away with a hard-fought point at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it doesn’t get any easier in this brutal run of fixtures. I just hope we have enough in the legs, as it was evident in the first half on Sunday that we were feeling the effects of giving everything against Man City.
I’m expecting the same starting XI, maybe with Ballard returning in place of Cirkin, so we are going to have to find something from the reserve fuel tank if we are to play with the intensity that makes us so difficult to beat.
Brentford have just thrashed Everton and have the fourth-best home record in the league, having lost only once at the GTech Community Stadium. That was over three months ago against Man City, so this is likely going to be a tough evening for us.
Keith Andrews has done unexpectedly well, picking up some excellent results. They gave us a difficult game at the SoL earlier this season, where we bagged two late goals, including a last-gasp winner. I’ll happily take another goal from Brobbey, and another point on the road, but I think we’ll come up short.
Brett Lyons-Davis predicts…
Score prediction: Brentford 1 Sunderland 2
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fée
These games are coming thick and fast at the moment, and it’s a testament to our squad that we’ve gone unbeaten with the African lads on international duty.
Brentford currently sit one place above due to goal difference and have surprised a lot of people by doing so well this season, having had a host of changes to the management and squad in the summer.
So, this will be a tough game on a cold January night, but I’m backing the lads to head back up north with 3 points in the pocket.
Last Time Out…
After a poor first half, the lads really turned it on at Spurs after oranges and grabbed a deserved point away from home.
The interplay and finish by Brobbey was a sight to see too – to score that how he did after our goal scoring trends have been so off colour lately was indicative of the player we have in our ranks.
We may have nicked a win if Hume could have done more with his header, or if Le Fee hadn’t hit the base of the post with a great headed shot, which seemed to have the Spurs stopper rooted.
One more point towards Premier League safety, while we are massively depleted from AFCON and injuries, was not to be sniffed at, but something which can certainly be built on, hopefully tonight at Brentford.
Last Game Predictions…
Most of the RR predictions collective felt quite confident about our first ever visit to the new Spurs gaff, and nobody backed us to lose, which a year ago would have been seen as pure madness.
The lads who backed a drawn outcome did best, though nobody went for a draw with our Brobbey netting, so no 2 or 4 pointers.
Predictions Table & Standings
Gary has usurped Brett from the top of the table, with his 3 points for the 1-1, and a point which predictions gaffer Malc missed in the last version, but has corrected below.
Brett still has Will and Malc in his slipstream despite him also getting an additional correction point from the previous round. Jack, Martin, and Matty aren’t far behind.
Gair remains upbeat and waits patiently for our next 4-0 win, which will see him surge up the table.
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.
