Score Predictions: Sunderland vs Brentford [H]

Martin Wanless predicts…

Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Brentford 0

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Habib Diarra

Saturday’s result at Burnley was a bit of a surprise after the West Ham game, however it was very much a case of ‘what could have been’ with that first goal proving ultra important.

The same will apply today – Brentford will be happy to concede possession, and that usually spells trouble for us.

But I think we’ll get over the line today. I’m going for a goal from Habib Diarra today – he looked off the pace on Saturday but was struggling with a knock, so hopefully he’s firing on all cylinders today.

‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts…

Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Brentford 0

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Eliezer Mayenda

Today is about getting back on the bike after a poor cup result and a below expectation showing at Turf Moor, and we have to rub our grazed knees and really get our act together for this.

Brentford are touted to struggle this season, but so were Burnley and we didn’t really show the best we could against them. Home advantage needs to be utilised, and with the 46,000+ crowd behind us I think we can nick this one by the odd goal.

The Big Man should have scored against Burnley from the Ballard header that put him in the treatment room for a few weeks, so I am backing Mayenda to get the goal which will give us six valuable points after three games in the Prem.

Jack Howe-Gingell predicts…

Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Brentford 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Simon Adingra

After an unsurprising cup exit, our main focus is back with the battle to stay in the Premier League, against another side who are tipped to struggle.

They really ceded possession in their latest outing against Aston Villa, which is perhaps a change in style from Thomas Frank’s side. My main concern, similarly as to the game against Burnley, is that we will struggle with a team who let us have the ball and use a low block. Lack of options at centre back are also a worry, but at least Nordi Mukiele and Arthur Masuaku showed promising signs midweek.

I have hope however that another roaring home crowd will the drive the lads on to produce. Could this perhaps be a game for Enzo Le Fée to be involved? I feel like we will need someone who can unlock a defence, if Brentford are to play similarly to their last match.

I think we will be able to overcome them, but I am predicting a tougher game than West Ham based on the likely tactics employed. It would be massive to get back to back home wins, and give us some digestion time over the international break.

Will Jones predicts…

Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Brentford 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Chemsdine Talbi

This one’s going to be a very different test. Against Burnley, we saw plenty of the ball but struggled to do much with it. Brentford won’t be as generous – they’ll press higher, play quicker, and look to dominate possession. That means we’ll need to be smarter without the ball, more compact, and clinical when chances come.

The Stadium of Light has to be our weapon. We need to make it a fortress again, where teams know they’re in for a battle from the first whistle. If we bring the intensity and feed off the crowd, we’ll get our moments and I’m backing Talbi to get his first of the season. He’s got that unpredictability defenders hate, and I can see him drifting in off the wing and burying one early.

Brentford will have large spells of possession, no doubt, and they’ll probably score. But I think we’ll find a way – whether it’s a set piece, a counter, or a bit of magic, to edge it. Not pretty, not dominant, but exactly the kind of win that builds belief.

Matty Foster predicts…

Score prediction: Sunderland 0 Brentford 0

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: No scorer

With our early cup exit, focus can now firmly shift back on to the League and Brentford today.

Brentford are one of those we hope will have a season of struggle, as the promoted sides look to buck the relegation trend.

They’ve lost a vast amount of their key players along with Thomas Frank, which is a huge transition to go through.

They’ve won one and lost one so far, having beaten Villa last week with only 28% possession.

We need to put behind the losses in the last week and recover well.

Truth be told, a point wouldn’t be the worst result in the world. And I get the feeling this will be a “last on MoTD” type of game.

Anthony Gair predicts…

Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Brentford 2

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Wilson Isidor

I think we’ll start the same way we did against West Ham, slow, methodical but maybe struggle to maintain the tempo Brentford like to play.

I think they’ll score early on and we’ll go into the first half 1-0 down. We’ll kick on in the second half, only to concede a second but with the crowd behind us, we’ll batter them for 35 minutes and grab a couple in the last 15 minutes.

That’s the plan, and as positive as I’m going to get this week.

Our first scorer will be Wilson Isidor. He’ll come on as an attempt from Regis to bring more attacking threat to the side, and he’ll cut in from the left walloping one or two into the back of the net.

I hope I’m wrong and we beat them 4-0 like.

Gary Winter predicts…

Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Brentford 0

Sunderland’s first goalscorer:Eliezer Mayenda

We were brought crashing down to earth at Turf Moor and what I took away from it was, just like our first game of the season, the first goal really is critical.

I’m convinced we’d have lost to West Ham if we’d gone behind and equally we’d have likely won at Burnley if we’d gone in front. Matches at this level really can be settled by the finest of margins, and home games are going to be the key to our survival chances.

If we can keep the atmosphere ferociously positive like the opening day, then we have a huge chance in this one.

Brentford nicked a goal and parked the bus at home to Aston Villa in their last league outing, so we could do without going behind to them today given our consistent struggles to break teams down.

I think Mayenda opens the scoring for us and we grind out a second home win, giving us a solid 6 points from 9 going in to the international break.

Brett Lyons-Davis predicts…

Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Brentford 0

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Wilson Isidor

There will be hardly be a queue knocking down Reggie’s door this week after the B team only decided to play 45 minutes against Huddersfield.

Probably adding 2+2 and getting 5 but I think the subbing of Mukiele and Isidor points to more involvement on Saturday and I wouldn’t be surprised to see both start.

Hopefully a packed Stadium of Light will help roar the lads into another 3 points against a team who many tipped to struggle this season. They are, though, coming north off the back of a decent win last time out v Aston Villa.

It will be a tight game but for me big Wilson scores one of those ridiculous goals he can come up with as the lads run out a 1-0 victory.

Last time out…

We went out of the league cup through the penalty shoot out lottery, losing to Huddersfield in the week with a much changed side, and we only really showed what we can do for the second 45.

We won’t get away with that today against a team who have established themselves as a decent top flight side using the model we are aspiring to follow.

After adding to his family in the past couple of days (congratulations to all the Isidor family), Wilson Isidor may only be used from the bench, but the way he played out wide in the week may well give the coach a couple of options to test out, as we bed in the new with the old.

With injuries at the back we may well see more of Masuaku and others too, maybe sooner than we expected to.

Last game predictions

Not many of the lads expected a loss in the league cup, but new boy Gair did forecast the draw and the shoot out which was the best of all our calls.

Not a lot of points for the result other than for him, though a few picked up some profit for Guiu scoring our goal from the Milan assist.

We have mixed predictions today, a sign that after the thrills of West Ham at home then the down to earth results against Burnley and Huddersfield, we cannot expect anything other than a good scrap most games at this level.

Initial Prediction Standings

Brett is joined top of the table by Gair, who called the 1-1 but got the scorer wrong.

A few of the lads are a couple behind thanks to calling Guiu as our scorer.

Not far behind those are the rest, with everyone now off the mark.

How the points are awarded

Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:

• Correct score = Three points
• Correct outcome (but not correct score) = One point
• Correct first Sunderland goalscorer = One point (no goalscorer is a valid call)
• Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = a two-point deduction.