Brentford face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in round four of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night (7.45pm kick-off GMT, live on Sky Sports+).
The Bees will be hoping to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition for a third-successive season against a Black Cats side who held them to a 1-1 Premier League draw last month.
Analysis, team news, match officials and more - here's everything you need to know ahead of the game.
Pre-match analysis
Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Bees looking to continue free-scoring Carabao Cup form
Brentford face Sunderland in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, with the Black Cats juggling the demands of a hectic schedule.
The two sides meet for the second time this season, having already played out a 1-1 Premier League draw at Gtech Community Stadium in September.
Régis Le Bris' side currently sit bottom of the Premier League with just five points from their opening eight games.
Sunderland have fared considerably better in Europe, however, sitting close to the automatic qualification places in the Europa League standings, and Le Bris has acknowledged the challenge of competing on multiple fronts.
"We know with this busy schedule playing in Europe, playing in the Carabao Cup, it's a new challenge for us and we need to embrace it," said the Sunderland head coach after Sunday’s goalless draw at home to Leeds United.
That clean sheet was only Sunderland's second in the Premier League this season, and Le Bris will hope his side can rediscover the defensive solidity that underpinned their impressive 2025/26 campaign.
Only Arsenal (27), Manchester City (35) and Brighton (46) conceded fewer goals than Sunderland (48) last term, but the Black Cats have been more vulnerable this time around, shipping 14 goals in eight league games.
The Wearsiders have contributed to their own downfall, too, with five of those goals (36 per cent) stemming from defensive errors.
There was some encouragement for Le Bris against Leeds, however, as top scorer Brian Brobbey returned from injury to play just over an hour.
The Dutch striker led the line when Sunderland visited the Gtech in September, a game in which the Black Cats caused Brentford plenty of problems.
The visitors registered more shots (14) and shots on target (5) than the Bees, generating almost twice the expected goals (xG) of their hosts.
While their Europa League commitments will test Sunderland's resources this season, their performances in Europe to date suggest the Black Cats have adopted a similarly front-footed approach against teams on the continent.
Only Bayer Leverkusen (24) average more shots per game than Sunderland (22.3) in the competition, and the Black Cats have scored as many goals from open play in Europe (3) as they have in the Premier League this season.
Brentford, meanwhile, have been in free-scoring form in the Carabao Cup, dismantling Championship outfit Birmingham City 6-1 in the second round before peppering League One Reading with 24 shots in a 2-1 victory in mid-September.
Third-tier Peterborough United (9) are the only side remaining in the competition to have scored more goals than Brentford (8), setting the stage for an intriguing all-Premier League contest.
Scout report
Dan Long, Sky Sports: Sunderland yet to find balance of competing on all fronts
When Sunderland visited the Gtech in January, they had amassed 30 points and a relegation battle was already as good as off the cards with just under half a season to go.
With no side having ever earned 43 points and been relegated in a 38-game season, they only needed four wins and a draw from the final 18 games to be able to plan, with near certainty, for a second-successive season in the top flight.
But they were actually averaging 1.53 points-per-game and projected to match their record Premier League points total of 58, set during the 1999/00 campaign. Régis Le Bris’ side were only looking up.
It was sod’s law that a slump followed. After the 3-0 defeat against the Bees, Sunderland lost four of the next six and slipped to 12th. “In the Premier League, it is not unusual [to suffer a dip],” said Le Bris after the 3-1 home defeat to Fulham on 22 February. “We will try to find a way to change the situation.”
Across the final three months, they floated between 10th and 13th; close enough to remain in contention for European qualification, but without the consistency of results that might have sealed the deal long before the season’s conclusion.
But on the final day, they did the business. A 2-1 win over Chelsea, coupled with Brighton’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, secured a joint-best seventh-place finish - and a spot in the Europa League.
It was the first time the club had qualified for European competition since 1973, and it meant so much more that they were able to achieve it in front of their own fans at the Stadium of Light. “It’s a perfect day,” said Le Bris. “When you work hard as a team, you can do something exceptional.”
Sunderland made a perfect start in Europe, with two wins from their first two, against AZ and Torreense. In the Carabao Cup, they beat Hull 1-0 to set up the fourth-round clash with Brentford. But in the Premier League, they have struggled. There is a balance to be struck when competing on multiple fronts - though finding it is rarely simple.
They are bottom of the league after just one win in their opening eight games. The Black Cats’ only victory in the top flight came with a narrow 1-0 success against Fulham in late August.
Given they only signed five players permanently in the summer - with their spend the third-lowest in the division, according to Sky Sports data - it is clear to see why there is some concern among supporters.
Those supporters will not want to see Opta’s supercomputer projection, which currently places Sunderland 19th, with a 42 per cent chance of relegation.
While the European adventure will provide memories to last a lifetime, Sunderland cannot allow that journey to come at the expense of their Premier League status.
In the Dugout
Régis Le Bris
Régis Le Bris had a pretty low-key playing career as a defender between 1994 and 2003, playing for Rennes and Laval in France, and Ronse in neighbouring Belgium. He played for France up to U17s level, too, and retired at the age of just 27.
The Frenchman was a qualified coach by the following year and, in 2006, received his doctorate in sports physiology and biomechanics. He went on to return to Rennes, where he stayed until 2012 in a coaching capacity, before moving on to Lorient.
He worked as Les Merlus' head of youth development for three years, then replaced Franck Haise as Lorient B chief. In 2021/22 - Le Bris' final campaign in charge - he guided the team to second place in the Championnat National 2 - Group A. Once he had completed his UEFA Pro Licence, he was appointed as the club's first team head coach in June 2022.
Lorient finished 10th in Ligue 1 in 2022/23, but 17th in 2023/24, which resulted in relegation to Ligue 2 after four seasons in the top flight. Le Bris left the club by mutual consent in June 2024 and signed a three-year deal at Sunderland the very same day.
After guiding the Black Cats to promotion back to the Premier League, he signed a fresh three-year deal in August 2025, which runs until the summer of 2028.
The Game plan
With Phil Smith, Sunderland Echo
Phil Smith of the Sunderland Echo explains how the Black Cats are likely to approach Wednesday night's Carabao Cup tie.
"There will be a lot of changes, but Sunderland always play in a 4-3-3 of some variation," he told brentfordfc.com.
"They have been adapting their style a little bit over the last six months or so, so they tend to see a bit more of the ball and defend a bit higher up the pitch than they did when they first came into the Premier League."
Last Carabao Cup starting XI v Hull City (4-2-3-1): Ellborg; Hume, O'Nien, Alderete, Méthalie; Rigg, Ahoka; Bi, Talbi, Fofana; Isidor
Team news
Henry ruled out through injury
Press conference: Keith Andrews on cup tie against Sunderland
Rico Henry will be out for a "period of weeks" after sustaining a hip and quad injury, Brentford head coach Keith Andrews has confirmed.
The left-back is likely to be absent until after November's international break.
Andrews provided a positive update on the injured trio of Antoni Milambo, Kaye Furo (metatarsal) and Josh Dasilva (hamstring), also revealing that Mikkel Damsgaard has been playing through pain in his right foot in recent weeks but is now "in a better place."
Match Officials
Ward given Black Cats appointment
Referee: Gavin Ward
Assistants: Adrian Holmes and Conor Brown
Fourth official: Paul Tierney
Gavin Ward will be in charge of Wednesday night's game at the Stadium of Light.
The Surrey referee has overseen nine games in 2026/27 across the Championship and Carabao Cup, dishing out 31 yellow cards and one red.
As with previous rounds, there is no VAR in place.
Last meeting
Brentford 1 Sunderland 1 (Premier League, 5 September)
Vitaly Janelt’s second-half opener was cancelled out by a late Enzo Le Fée penalty as Brentford drew with Sunderland at Gtech Community Stadium.
Janelt broke the deadlock with a thunderous finish in the 57th minute, but the Black Cats responded when Le Fée converted from the spot after Keane Lewis-Potter was adjudged to have fouled Wilson Isidor.