Sunderland – Brentford

Recent form · Written before the match

Sunderland lost 0-2 at home to Brighton on 10 October, then 0-2 at Bournemouth on 18 October, where Kevin Danso was sent off in the 17th minute and transition and build-up errors were punished. Sunderland also had a European away match scheduled for 22 October.

Brentford drew 2-2 at Aston Villa on 10 October, after a goal resulting from a high turnover, then lost 1-2 to Liverpool on 17 October after taking the lead; Yehor Yarmoliuk and Vitaly Janelt were sent off. In the cup, Sunderland eliminated Hull City 1-0 in the third round, while Brentford beat Birmingham 6-1 and then Reading 2-1.

The runs remain limited, and chance quality is not quantified in a usable manner by a selected source.

Head-to-head · Written before the match

The recent documented meeting is Brentford 1-1 Sunderland, in the Premier League on 5 September 2026. Sunderland had used a back five, equalized from a penalty and created a chance from a free kick; Brentford had created danger from a short corner.

This precedent is recent, but its prédictive valeur is limited by the different competition, the reversed home advantage and possible squad changes. The pages consulted do not make it possible to establish a reliable series of previous meetings before this season.

Absences and returns

The absences have not been confirmed. The sendings-off of Kevin Danso, Yehor Yarmoliuk and Vitaly Janelt are established, but their availability for the Carabao Cup and the applicable suspension are not documented.

Nathan Collins left the previous encounter after 17 minutes through injury, without his current status being established.

Context & news

The match is a knockout tie for qualification to the fifth round, with no first-leg score. In the scenario favourable to Brentford, a team close to the usual starting eleven presses high, forces turnovers in the final third and exploits set pieces, as observed against Aston Villa and in the previous meeting with Sunderland.

In the scenario favourable to Sunderland, the low back five protects the area, benefits from the pitch and attacks the spaces behind Brentford’s wing-backs through transitions and set pieces. This approach becomes more fragile if Sunderland lose a centre-back or make a build-up error.

The kick-off time is confirmed by the information consulted.