Brentford at Sunderland, preview
Brentford heads to Sunderland, in northeast England, for the first time since 2018.
The matchup
The two teams don't have much in terms of recent history. The last time they played was in 2018, when both teams were in the Championship – the Bees won that game 2-0. In fact, the Bees have not lost against Sunderland this century, posting a record of 2 wins and 1 draw.
Recent form
Sunderland started strong in their first league game back in the Premier League, with a convincing 3-0 at home against West Ham. They lost the following weekend away at Burnley and lost on penalties during the week in the EFL Cup. So, 1 win followed by 2 losses.
The Bees have done the opposite. They lost on the opening weekend to Nottingham Forest but bounced back with wins against Aston Villa and Bournemouth in the EFL Cup. So, 1 loss followed by 2 wins.
Next, we look at the Opta Power Rankings. This is a mathematical measure and ranking system for club teams around the world. Brentford enters the game with a higher ranking than Sunderland, the first time that's happened this season for the Bees. According to this ranking system, the Bees have been the underdog in their 3 previous matches.
| Club | Current PL position | Opta rating | PL rank (Opta) | Global rank (Opta) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brentford | 10 | 91.8 | 11 | 18 |
| Sunderland | 7 | 84.6 | 20 | 82 |
Pre-game correlation
This will be a special game for Jordan Henderson, who was born in Sunderland and began his professional career there. While he wasn't in the lineup against Bournemouth on Tuesday, he is available for the match against Sunderland. He's also been named to the England squad again for the upcoming international break, hoping to add to his existing total of 84 England caps.
Prediction #1
Home-town boy Henderson will start the game.
Prediction #2
Wanting to impress friends, family (and Thomas Tuchel), Henderson will lead the game in at least one key statistical area.
Prediction #3
Keith Andrews used very different starting line-ups for his games against Aston Villa and Bournemouth. At least 1 of his new starters from Bournemouth will start the game against Sunderland.
The question
New for this match preview is The question, where we ask a question before the game and then try to answer it after the game has been played.
By objective measures like the Opta Power Rankings, Sunderland are the weakest team that Brentford has played in a competitive match this season. That, of course, doesn't guarantee an easy match or win (see Manchester United at Grimsby Town), but it does make it a bit more likely that the Bees will have more possession than they have had recently against teams like Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
So rather than ask the question will Brentford have more possession, we'll ask the question what will Brentford do if they end up with more possession than Sunderland? Will they endlessly pass it around the perimeter like Man City of a few years ago? Will they try dribbling into the box? Will they force Sunderland into conceding corners and throw-ins so Brentford can leverage their strength there? Will they get frustrated and take low-quality shots? Will they forego possession with a preference for counter-attacking? We're curious to see how this aspect of the game plays out.
Some unrelated answers
Another new thing that we're trying for this match preview is to offer up some answers now, and then after the game, we'll come back and see what the questions were. If you've ever watched the TV game show called "Jeopardy", you'll get the idea.
- Brown
- Ethan Pinnock
- The number 7
Other data stories
Seeing red and white
At home, both the Bees and the Black Cats wear red and white stripes. What's it like to play against another team that wears a kit so similar to yours? In a game of fine margins, does a player looking up and temporarily getting confused make a difference? A pass to the wrong team? A tackle because a player thought they had more time than they really did? It's hard to say.
What we can do is look at Brentford's performance away against teams who also wear red and white. Since 2000, the Bees have played against teams in red and white stripes 24 times, dropping half of those matches, with especially difficult times away against Sheffield United and Stoke City.
Brentford's record away against teams wearing red and white striped kit (source 11v11.com)
| Team | Wins | Draws | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter City | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lincoln Town | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sheffield United | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Southampton | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Stoke City | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Sunderland | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6 | 6 | 12 |
We'll save the specific details until the return fixtures, but will drop a hint that the Bees have been much more successful at home when the tables are turned and they get to wear their familiar stripes.
This story was published on 29 August 2025. It was written by Dennis Flood. The image at the top of this story was generated using AI.
