Brighton and Hove Albion host Sunderland at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with kick off scheduled for 3pm, and Alan Shearer has backed the home side to come out on top.
The former Newcastle United striker insists there is no lingering resentment after Sunderland edged the Wear Tyneside derby last weekend, beating his former club 1 0 at the Stadium of Light. That victory lifted the Black Cats to eighth in the Premier League, but attention now turns to a tough away test against Brighton, who sit tenth.
Sunderland will be without several players due to Africa Cup of Nations commitments, and Shearer believes those absences could have a significant impact on Regis Le Bris’s side.
Sharing his prediction with the Metro, Shearer said the loss of key squad members would hurt Sunderland in the coming weeks. He praised their form and performances this season, admitting they have been excellent, but felt this fixture comes at a difficult time. With Brighton at home and Sunderland missing important players, he tipped a home win and added that the next few weeks would be a real test for the Black Cats.
Chris Sutton has also predicted a Brighton victory, pointing to their strong record at the Amex. Writing in his BBC predictions column, Sutton noted that Sunderland are riding high after their derby success and will be full of confidence, even with players away at AFCON. However, he described the trip to the south coast as a tricky assignment.
Sutton acknowledged Brighton’s inconsistency but backed them to perform on home soil, where they have only lost once all season. He settled on a narrow 1 0 win for the Seagulls.
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has spoken positively about Sunderland’s return to the Premier League and singled out Granit Xhaka for praise. Hurzeler said he has followed the midfielder since his time in Germany and highlighted the titles Xhaka won with Bayer Leverkusen. He described the experienced international as a key figure, noting his leadership, communication and understanding of the game, and labelled him one of Sunderland’s most important players.