Sunderland and Brighton Battle for Premier League Positions, Separated by Three Points

Sunderland will host Brighton & Hove Albion on March 14 in a Premier League Matchday 30 fixture. The game will take place at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, officiated by referee Thomas Kirk.

The hosts enter the match sitting 11th in the league table with 40 points from 29 matches. Brighton, meanwhile, are in 14th place with 37 points from the same number of games.

Sunderland has recorded two wins, one draw, and two defeats in their last five matches. Brighton has also secured two victories but suffered three losses over the same period. Historically, the visitors have the upper hand with one win and two draws, while Sunderland is yet to claim a victory against them. Their most recent encounter, played on December 20, 2025, in the Premier League, ended in a 0-0 draw.

Sunderland is expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with goalkeeper Melker Ake Elburg and defenders Luke Terry O'Nien and Daniel George Ballard featuring. The team will be without Denis Cirkin and Nordi Mukiele due to injury, with doubts surrounding their readiness. Additionally, Reinildo is sidelined until late March, and Romain Le Mondel is out until the end of May.

Brighton is anticipated to adopt a similar tactical setup, relying on Bart Verbruggen, Mats Wieffer, and Jan Paul van Hecke. The visitors will be without Adam Webster until early April and Kaoru Mitoma until late March due to injury. Furthermore, Solly March's return is doubtful, and Greek player Stefanos Tzimas is sidelined until next August.

The match will be broadcast on beIN SPORTS CONNECT Platform, beIN Sports HD 2, beIN Sports HD 3, and TOD Platform.