ENGLISH PREMIER BETTING PREVIEW - BRIGHTON VS SUNDERLAND

English Premier

2025-12-20 - Brighton vs Sunderland

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Brighton v Sunderland
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 20th December 2025 - Kick Off 3pm

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Brighton

Better finishing may have produced a better result than the defeat suffered at Anfield last Saturday and Fabian Hurzeler will be keen for his Brighton team to bounce back. Results over the last couple of weeks have slowed the quiet momentum that Brighton had built up and they will be looking for a much more positive overall experience at the Amex Stadium.

In a tightly congested Division, a single defeat or a couple of defeats in quick succession can change the narrative, and Brighton have dropped down to 10th in the Premier League table. The Seagulls have a 4-3-1 record at home where they have scored 16 goals and conceded 11.

Brighton had been in very good form having picked up 10 points from a possible 12 in the top flight, but they have now failed to win any of the last 3 League games and been beaten twice in that run. They had won 3 in a row at the Amex Stadium, but Brighton blew a 2-0 lead in a 3-4 home loss to Aston Villa and then needed a very late goal to earn a 1-1 draw with struggling West Ham United.

Carlos Baleba is away at the African Cup of Nations, while both Lewis Dunk and Diego Gomez will serve a suspension.

Sunderland

Fans will have remembered the reaction of the Newcastle United players after winning a FA Cup tie at the Stadium of Light a little under two years ago and it was clear that the Sunderland players were aware of it too. They replicated the photo that the Newcastle United players took that day following the 1-0 win in the Tyne-Wear derby and Sunderland cannot be any more pleased with the way things have gone through the first half of the campaign.

The Black Cats are 8th in the Premier League table and fans will be dreaming about playing in European competition, while the 26 points on the board means they are well on the way to securing another campaign in the top flight. That remains the main ambition for Sunderland who make the long journey down to the South Coast with a 2-2-4 away record in the top flight.

Sunderland had won 1 of the previous 6 Premier League games before the 1-0 win over Newcastle United last Sunday, while they have been a stubborn team to beat. However, since coming from behind to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Sunderland have picked up a single point from 3 away Premier League games played.

Luke O'Nien is suspended, while Sunderland have been hit the hardest in the top flight with players who are playing at the African Cup of Nations.

Head to Head

Brighton last played Sunderland back in August 2011 in the League Cup and they won that tie 1-0 at home.

These clubs have missed each other in recent League seasons and this will be the first such meeting since the 2004/05 Championship season.

Prediction

Out of all of the Premier League clubs, Sunderland always knew they would be impacted the most by the African Cup of Nations and a number of important players will be absent for up to a month.

However, Regis Le Bris has put together a squad that have shown a lot of resilience and those players coming in will feel they can maintain the Sunderland levels.

Most would have tipped up Sunderland for relegation back in August, but this is a team that have massively overachieved and the 1-0 win over Newcastle United will have given the fans huge bragging rights.

However, it has to be noted that Sunderland have not been at their very best in recent away games and losing the squad depth may make those matches more difficult than playing in front of a passionate Stadium of Light. That is the test for Sunderland this weekend when travelling to the Amex Stadium where Brighton have been very good overall, although the last couple of results here have been disappointing.

Fabian Hurzeler's men have just lost a bit of momentum after picking up a single point from the last 3 Premier League games, but they are still very good going forward. Better composure would have led to more successes and Brighton will still be feeling pretty confident with the football being played and a couple of wins over the festive period will push them back up into a position where they would expect to be challenging.

Brighton's attacking qualities could make the difference in this game, especially as Sunderland have just looked a bit more vulnerable in recent away games. Add in some of the changes that have to be made with players leaving for the African Cup of Nations and Brighton may just have the quality in the final third to secure the victory in a game in which they score at least twice.

The Pick :

Brighton 2-0 Sunderland

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Brighton to Win & Over 1 Total Goal (Bet Builder) at 1.90 with Bet365 (early payout if a team is leading by two goals)