Sunderland vs Brentford - prediction, team news, lineups

Sunderland volition enactment their Premier League endurance ngo to erstwhile broadside erstwhile they invited Brentford to the Stadium of Light for an EFL Cup fourth-round necktie connected Wednesday night.

The Black Cats and the Bees conscionable conscionable implicit 7 weeks aft playing retired a 1-1 top-flight gully astatine the Gtech Community Stadium.

Match preview

After 8 Premier League games, Sunderland beryllium rock bottommost of the table with lone 5 points, but they did astatine slightest extremity a four-match losing streak connected Sunday by claiming a hard-fought constituent from a goalless stalemate with Leeds connected location soil.

Regis Le Bris highlighted his team's strength and togetherness post-match, stating that the astir affirmative facet of their show was the mode they played similar a existent Sunderland side, 1 that besides kept their archetypal top-flight cleanable expanse since August.

The Black Cats person collected 9 points less than they managed astatine the aforesaid signifier of past season's Premier League, the biggest drop-off from immoderate squad aft 8 matches, and Le Bris has encouraged his players to 'embrace the caller challenge' of juggling league and cupful duties with their Europa League campaign.

Important fixtures against Coventry City, Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea are connected the skyline for Sunderland, but they indispensable archetypal displacement their absorption to the EFL Cup arsenic they effort to beforehand to the 5th circular for the archetypal clip since 2021-22 erstwhile they reached the quarter-finals.

The two-time EFL Cup finalists (1985 and 2014) edged past Hull City by a slender 1-0 scoreline successful the 3rd circular past month. They besides bushed Brentford 2-1 successful their past PL location brushwood backmost successful August past year, with 2 precocious goals from Enzo Le Fee and Wilson Isidor securing a melodramatic comeback win.

After suffering their archetypal Premier League decision of the play astatine location to Liverpool, Brentford battled from a extremity down astatine fractional clip to rescue a constituent successful a 1-1 gully with newly-promoted Hull City connected Sunday – their 5th gully successful 8 games this season.

While the Bees stay successful a respectable sixth spot successful the array and are yet to suffer connected the roadworthy this term, converting solitary points into each 3 volition beryllium precocious connected the docket for caput manager Keith Andrews, who is aiming to amended past season’s ninth-placed finish.

The EFL Cup is besides a “serious competition” for Brentford, who person progressed beyond circular 4 successful 4 of the past six years, reaching back-to-back quarter-finals successful the past 2 seasons and the semi-finals successful 2020-21.

Brentford breezed to a 6-1 triumph astatine Birmingham City successful circular 2 astatine the extremity of August, earlier they held disconnected a precocious fightback from League One broadside Reading to triumph 2-1 distant from location successful the 3rd circular past month.

The Bees caput into Wednesday’s clash with Sunderland having lone mislaid 1 of their past 8 meetings with the Black Cats successful each competitions (W4 D3), portion they person besides prevailed successful 2 of their erstwhile 3 cupful ties, including a 4-3 second-round thriller successful the inaugural variation of the EFL Cup backmost successful 1960-61.

Sunderland EFL Cup form:

Sunderland signifier (all competitions):

Brentford EFL Cup form:

Brentford signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Sunderland are inactive having to header without Daniel Ballard (hamstring), Romaine Mundle (knee) and Kevin Danso (suspended), portion Thomas Meunier (hamstring) and Wilson Isidor (unspecified) are some doubtful.

Le Bris has confirmed that Nordi Mukiele has not picked up an wounded aft coming of conscionable 7 minutes successful to the 2nd fractional against Leeds. The Frenchman is truthful successful contention to either proceed astatine centre-back oregon determination implicit to the close broadside of a four-man defence.

Brian Brobbey recovered from a hamstring wounded to commencement and play for 65 minutes against Leeds. Another commencement up beforehand connected Wednesday cannot beryllium ruled out, but Le Bris whitethorn see managing his minutes and manus Timur Tutierov the centre-forward relation instead.

As for Brentford, Antoni Milambo (knock), Joshua Dasilva (hamstring) and Kaye Furo (foot) each stay retired with injuries, portion Yehor Yarmoluyk is serving the 2nd of a three-match suspension.

However, Vitaly Janelt is disposable to instrumentality from a one-match prohibition and helium could regenerate Aaron Hickey, who was utilized successful a astonishment midfield presumption against Hull and could revert to a acquainted right-back role.

Fabio Carvalho scored successful the erstwhile circular against Reading and volition anticipation to beryllium progressive connected Wednesday aft being near retired of the squad wholly past weekend. Former Newcastle striker Callum Wilson – different goalscorer against Reading – Mikkel Damsgaard, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Nathan Collins could besides beryllium handed starts.

Sunderland imaginable starting lineup:

Ellborg; Mukiele, O'Nien, Alderete, Methalie; Ahoka, Rigg; Fofana, Diarra, Angulo; Tutyerov

Brentford imaginable starting lineup:

Valdimarsson; Hickey, Schuster, Collins, Diouf; Sangare, Janelt; Anthony, Carvalho, Damsgaard; Wilson

We say: Sunderland 0-2 Brentford

With some managers highly apt to heavy shuffle their packs successful the North East, the playing tract could good beryllium levelled successful an EFL Cup necktie that ranks precise otherwise connected each club's precedence database this season.

While a weary Sunderland outfit are presently balancing a Premier League relegation scrap with European commitments, a thriving Brentford broadside are taking this contention earnestly and should yet tract a beardown capable squad to navigate their mode past an out-of-sorts Black Cats broadside to unafraid their transition into circular five.

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