Sunderland will be eager to return to winning ways, and Brentford will aim to continue from where they left off last weekend when the two sides clash at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

The 2025/26 Premier League season will resume this weekend with Gameweek 3, with Saturday hosting most matches. The action on the day will start with the game between Chelsea and Fulham at Stamford Bridge before continuing with four simultaneous fixtures, including Sunderland vs Brentford at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland could not have asked for a better season-opening fixture after returning to the Premier League after nearly a decade, cruising to a 3-0 win over West Ham United. However, the Black Cats have faltered since then, losing 2-0 to Burnley in Gameweek 2 before bowing out of the EFL Cup in the second round with a penalty-shootout defeat to Huddersfield Town.

On the other hand, Brentford began the 2025/26 season with a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest, with off-field issues impacting the West London outfit. However, the Bees have bounced back impeccably since then, beating Aston Villa 1-0 in Gameweek 2 before reaching the EFL Cup third round by clinching a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth earlier this week.

The most recent clash between Sunderland and Brentford at the Stadium of Light ended in a 2-0 win for the West London outfit in February 2018. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Sunderland

Regis Le Bris has a new injury concern that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Sunderland manager will be bereft of the services of over half a dozen players vs Brentford on Saturday.

Daniel Ballard is the latest absentee after picking up a groin injury last weekend against Burnley. The 25-year-old defender has joined Leo Hjelde (achilles), Dennis Cirkin (wrist), Luke O’Nien (shoulder), Niall Huggins (groin), Ajibola Afolarin Alese (shoulder), and Romaine Mundle (thigh) on the sidelines.

Robin Roefs should retain his spot between the sticks, with Sunderland lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Brentford on Saturday. The backline will feature Nordi Mukiele, Jenson Seelt, Omar Alderete, and Reinildo Mandava.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki, and Habib Diarra in the middle of the park. Finally, Eliezer Mayenda will lead the line for Sunderland against Brentford, with Simon Adingra and Chemsdine Talbi being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Roefs; Mukiele, Seelt, Alderete, Reinildo; Diarra, Xhaka, Sadiki; Talbi, Mayenda, Adingra

Brentford

Like his counterpart in the Sunderland dugout, Keith Andrews has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to the Stadium of Light. The Brentford manager will be without half a dozen first-team players on Saturday.

Yoane Wissa is the most notable absentee amid continued speculation surrounding his long-term future. Meanwhile, Frank Onyeka is recovering from a knock he sustained against Bournemouth earlier this week. The Nigerian international has joined Vitaly Janelt (ankle), Gustavo Nunes (thigh), Paris Maghoma (thigh) and Yunus Konak (ankle) on the sidelines.

Caoimhin Kelleher is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Brentford lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Sunderland on Saturday. The backline should feature Michael Kayode, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg, and Keane Lewis-Potter.

As for the midfield unit, Jordan Henderson will likely pair up with Yehor Yarmolyuk in the double pivot. Mikkel Damsgaard will reprise the no. 10 role, with Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara being the two wide attackers. Finally, Igor Thiago will spearhead the Brentford attack against Sunderland this weekend.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Henderson, Yarmolyuk; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Key Stats

• Sunderland vs Brentford will be the 940th different fixture to be played in the Premier League. They last locked horns in the top flight in the 1946/47 campaign. Meanwhile, the Black Cats are winless in their five most recent games against Brentford in all competitions (D2 L3), with Saturday’s clash the first meeting between the two sides since a 2-0 win for the Bees in the EFL Championship in February 2018.
• In their previous 16 Premier League campaigns, only once did Sunderland win their first two home matches in a season: in 2001/02 under Peter Reid.
• Despite losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 1, no team has more away Premier League points than Brentford in 2025 (23 – W7 D2 L2). It is already more on the road than they managed in 2022 (22), 2023 (19), and 2024 (12) and is their joint most away top-flight wins in one year, having also secured seven victories in 1937.
• Brentford have won their last eight Premier League matches against newly promoted teams by an aggregate score of 28-6, with their most recent defeat to a promoted side coming in March 2024 at Burnley.
• Despite playing 139 minutes in the Premier League thus far in the 2025/26 season, Eliezer Mayenda has made only three passes, completing two. This is both the fewest passes and the fewest successful passes in a player’s first two Premier League starts on record since 2003/04.

Player to Watch

Dango Ouattara

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While Granit Xhaka, Simon Adingra, and Kevin Schade were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Dango Ouattara as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Sunderland and Brentford at the Stadium of Light.

The summer arrival scored the match-winning goal on his Premier League debut for Brentford in their 1-0 win over Aston Villa. No Brentford player has ever netted in his first two appearances in the competition for the club. So, Ouattara will be eager to clinch the record when the Bees lock horns with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this weekend.

Prediction

Sunderland 1-2 Brentford

Sunderland will be eager to reverse the tide after two unimpressive performances in the past week. Regis Le Bris seemed to have a team that could succeed in overcoming the daunting challenge of remaining in the Premier League beyond the 2025/26 season. However, that may not be the case, as the Black Cats have shown their soft underbelly in the last two games.

On the other hand, the off-field speculations do not bother the Brentford group anymore, and Dango Ouattara’s arrival has buoyed the squad. The summer arrival should be in his element again, combining delightfully with Mikkel Damsgaard to clinch a hard-fought victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Keith Andrews and his charges.