**Sunderland's got the home comforts, but Brighton are absolutely on it right now** — the visitors have won three of their last five and just demolished Manchester United. This is a proper test for the Black Cats. 🔴

Sunderland's mixed bag (2-1-2) includes a gutsy loss to City and a shutout over AZ, but back-to-back defeats to Arsenal sting. Brighton, though? They're *rolling* — three wins in five with that ridiculous 5-0 demolition of Coventry. H2H favors the Seagulls 2-1 over the last three meetings too.

Key storylines:

- **G. Xhaka and E. Le Fée** anchor Sunderland's midfield as they try to control tempo against a slick Brighton side
- **P. Groß and I. Osman** pulling strings for Brighton's creative attack, which has been lethal on the road
- Sunderland missing **B. Brobbey** and **H. Diarra** through injury limits depth, while Brighton's injury toll (Ferguson, Mitoma, Wieffer) is heavier but hasn't dented their form

Expected lineups:

- **Sunderland**: R. Roefs, R. Mandava, K. Danso, L. O'Nien, N. Mukiele, G. Xhaka, E. Le Fée, M. Fofana, N. Sadiki, J. T. Bi, W. Isidor
- **Brighton & Hove Albion**: B. Verbruggen, D. Gómez, O. Boscagli, L. Dunk, Costinha, P. Groß, M. Yalcouyé, I. Osman, G. Rutter, L. Vušković, C. Kostoulas

Prediction:

**Brighton 2-1 Sunderland.** Brighton have the slight edge in form and firepower; Sunderland can trouble them but likely fall short. ⚽

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