Brighton take on newly promoted Sunderland as festive run nears.
Brighton vs. Sunderland begins at 15:00 [GMT] on Saturday, December 20, at the AMEX.
Brighton welcome Sunderland to the Amex Stadium for a meeting that carries a strong sense of novelty, history and intrigue, as the two sides face each other in the Premier League for the very first time. Despite both clubs spending long spells in English football’s top tiers, this is their maiden Premier League encounter and their first league meeting of any kind since February 2005, when Brighton claimed a 2-1 home win in the Championship. Their most recent competitive clash came in August 2011, a League Cup tie that Brighton won 1-0 in just their fourth competitive match at the newly opened Amex Stadium. Top-flight history between the sides is limited, with Sunderland winning just one of six such meetings between 1980 and 1983. Brighton approach this fixture looking to arrest an awkward seasonal pattern. December has proven to be a difficult month for the Seagulls in the Premier League, with no wins in their last nine December matches (D5 L4) since a 4-2 victory over Tottenham in 2023. Only April has produced a lower Premier League win rate for Brighton than December, and the home side will be keen to prevent that trend from deepening, particularly at home. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Danny Welbeck in attack may be seen against newly promoted Sunderland.
Sunderland, meanwhile, continue to defy expectations following promotion. Their haul of 26 points after 16 Premier League games is the best return by a promoted side at this stage of a season since Hull City in 2008-09. Even more remarkably, this is the latest point in a Premier League season that a promoted side has matched or exceeded the reigning champions’ points tally, a feat not seen since Burnley and Leicester in 2016-17. It underlines just how quickly Sunderland have adapted to life back in the top flight. Defensive organisation has been central to that success. The Black Cats’ 1-0 win over Newcastle last time out was their fifth clean sheet of the campaign, already just one fewer than they managed across their entire last Premier League season in 2016-17. However, Sunderland are often slow starters. They have scored fewer first-half goals than any other side this season, both in raw numbers and as a percentage of their total goals. Individual storylines also add interest. Brighton’s Danny Welbeck, who spent a season at Sunderland earlier in his career, has yet to register a goal or assist in nine Premier League appearances against the visitors, one of his longest such droughts against a single opponent. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Brian Brobbey in attack is expected against Brighton.