Match at Stadium of Light, Sunderland, in the Premier League (Regular Season - 30), kicks off on 2026-03-14 at 15:00 UTC. Sunderland start the day 11th on 40 points, Brighton 14th on 37.
Sunderland Availability
The hosts are heavily depleted. J. T. Bi, B. Brobbey, D. Cirkin, Reinildo Mandava, N. Mukiele, R. Mundle, R. Roefs and B. Traoré are all ruled out, with a mix of injuries and muscle problems further thinning the squad. Creative hub Granit Xhaka is available and important: he brings 1 goal and 5 assists in 25 league appearances, plus significant control in midfield. With Sunderland scoring just 30 league goals so far, keeping Xhaka fit is crucial to supplying a rotated forward line.
Brighton Availability
Brighton’s issues are mainly at the back. Captain L. Dunk, S. Tzimas and A. Webster are all out with knee injuries, while young defender C. Tasker is doubtful with an injury and will face a late fitness test. In attack, top scorer Danny Welbeck is fit and ready; he has 10 goals (including 1 from the spot) in 28 appearances and remains Brighton’s primary threat.
Sunderland’s absentees strip depth across defence and attack but spare their key creator Xhaka. Brighton lose leadership and stability in defence but retain almost their full attacking output through Welbeck, keeping their frontline largely intact.
