Sunderland welcome Brighton to the Stadium of Light in the 2026/27 Premier League season, with Fabian Hurzeler's side making the near 700-mile round trip north for what promises to be a compelling fixture between two sides heading in contrasting directions.

A brutal run of fixtures for the Black Cats

Sunderland's recent schedule has offered little respite. Regis Le Bris' side drew 1-1 away at Brentford — who currently sit fourth in the table — before suffering a 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal and then falling to a dramatic 5-3 loss at Manchester City, in which striker Brian Brobbey struck a hat-trick.

That sequence means Saturday's visit of Brighton is Sunderland's fourth consecutive match against a Premier League top-four side. The Black Cats have collected just four points from their opening five games and face this latest challenge without Brobbey and defender Dan Ballard, both of whom picked up injuries during the international break.

Brighton riding high after demolishing Arsenal

Brighton arrive in the northeast in fine fettle. Hurzeler's Seagulls produced arguably the most eye-catching performance of the season so far when they dismantled Arsenal 3-0 before the international break, and they go into Saturday's game with 10 points from five matches.

That form has been achieved despite notable absences up front, with Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma, and Jack Hinshelwood all sidelined through injury. Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas have stepped into the breach, with both players getting on the scoresheet in that commanding victory over Arsenal.

Hurzeler could have further reinforcements available for the trip north. Club captain Lewis Dunk and summer signing Femi Azeez — who is yet to make his debut for the club — are expected to return to availability, giving Brighton additional depth as they look to maintain their strong early-season momentum.

Where to watch

The match kicks off at 3:00pm BST on Saturday and is subject to the UK's 3pm broadcasting blackout, meaning it will not be shown on television in the United Kingdom. Viewers in the United States can watch on Peacock, with kick-off at 10:00am ET — Peacock Premium plans start from $12.99 per month. In Australia, Stan Sport will broadcast the game live, with kick-off at 12:00am AEST on Sunday morning, at a cost of AU$29.99 per month.

Supporters outside their home country can use a VPN service such as NordVPN to access their usual streaming platform while abroad.

Prediction

The Stadium of Light has proved a difficult venue for visiting sides since Sunderland's return to the Premier League, but Brighton's form and fitness make them the likeliest side to take all three points. FourFourTwo predicts a 1-2 Brighton victory.