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Championship new boys Brighton and Hove Albion host Sunderland this evening in the pick of a busy night of Premier League action, writes Thomas Rooney.
Gus Poyet’s men are in fine form at the moment having secured 10 points from four league games this season.
They only won promotion from League One last year and there is no doubt that they have taken to the Championship well.
There is even talk that they could secure back to back promotions and with wins over strong sides like Portsmouth and Cardiff – you can see why. Quite simply, they are firing on all cylinders and will go into tonight’s match with plenty of confidence.
Sunderland are a new challenge for them though even though Steve Bruce’s men have endured a below par start to the season. They secured a well earned point at Liverpool on the opening weekend, but lost to local rivals Newcastle last time out.
There is no doubt they will want to bounce back tonight and secure their first win of the season, all be it in the Carling Cup. They should be looking to go on a good run in this competition too, so Bruce’s men will be talking tonight’s clash very seriously indeed.
History shows that these two teams are normally very evenly matched with Brighton securing 13 wins and Sunderland 14, while there have been 7 draws. Tonight will be the first time they have met outside of the league though, so it will be fascinating to see how it turns out.
As for the team news, Brighton strikers Will Buckley and Will Hoskins will both face late fitness tests, while new signing Ryan Harley is still waiting for international clearance to make his debut.
Sunderland will be without the suspended Phil Bardsley and injured trio John O’Shea, Craig Gordon and Fraizer Campbell.
Match odds
Sunderland go into the match as favourites with odds of 6/4 @ SkyBet, but a Brighton win is fancied by many too and they can be backed at 7/4. The Championship outfit claiming a Premier League scalp is certainly not something that be ruled out.
Correct score
With the match likely to be very close, one goal could be enough to win the game. 1-0 Sunderland can be backed at 7/1 while a 1-0 home win is available at 8/1. A draw is also a possibility in the 90 minutes so backing a 1-1 (11/2) result in normal time could be a good shout.
Goals are certainly expected to be at a premium, but an early breakthrough could change this so for 2-2 or 3-3 should be backed if you fancy this one to provide more goalmouth action than expected.
First Goalscorer
Unsurprisingly, Asamoah Gyan (5/1) is leading the way in the first goalscorer market. The Sunderland striker has yet to open his account this season, but he will continue to be the away side’s best bet for finding the back of the net.
Gyan is closely followed by Brighton new boy Craig Mackail-Smith. The striker made a surprise move from Peterborough at the start of the year and has already scored twice for his new team. He can be backed at 6/1 @ SkyBet.
Recommended bet
Sunderland to win 1-0 @ 7/1
