# Brentford v Sunderland — the Match Wizard Premier League, game week 3 — Saturday, 5 September 2026, kick-off 15:00 UK time. > The wizard is price-blind: four steps on played-match facts alone, then your appraisal — and only then the market. Read it in order. Nothing here is a tip or a selection. Brentford: 40 league matches in the bank, 2 from this season and the rest from last season. Sunderland: 40 league matches in the bank, 2 from this season and the rest from last season. Look and learn: it is early in the season, so nearly everything counted here was earned last season -- by squads and dugouts a summer window may have reshaped. Treat the first five weeks as pointers while the new shapes settle, not proof. ## Step 1 of 4 — The table **Brentford and Sunderland finished near neighbours last season -- 9th and 7th of 20 -- so rank alone splits nothing here. Against the block the other keeps: Brentford takes 1.25 points a game, Sunderland 1.77 -- the block form is Sunderland's.** Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart? ### Brentford -- at home - **Where it stands:** Stands 6th of 20 after 2 games, with 4 points -- too few games yet to mean much. Last season it finished 9th of 20 in this division. - **Its block:** By last season's final table it sits in the middle block (7th to 13th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 2 games old. - **Against today's opponent's block:** Today it faces a side from the middle block (7th to 13th). Against that block it has won 4, drew 3, lost 5 of 12 -- 15 points of 36. At home against them: won 2 of 6. Away against them: won 2 of 6. - **Across all the blocks:** Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 5, drew 3, lost 4 of 12 (1.50 a game); against the middle block won 4, drew 3, lost 5 of 12 (1.25 a game); against the bottom block won 6, drew 6, lost 4 of 16 (1.50 a game). ### Sunderland -- away - **Where it stands:** Stands 12th of 20 after 2 games, with 3 points -- too few games yet to mean much. Last season it finished 7th of 20 in this division. - **Its block:** By last season's final table it sits in the middle block (7th to 13th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 2 games old. - **Against today's opponent's block:** Today it faces a side from the middle block (7th to 13th). Against that block it has won 7, drew 2, lost 4 of 13 -- 23 points of 39. At home against them: won 4 of 7. Away against them: won 3 of 6. - **Across all the blocks:** Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 1, drew 6, lost 5 of 12 (0.75 a game); against the middle block won 7, drew 2, lost 4 of 13 (1.77 a game); against the bottom block won 7, drew 4, lost 3 of 14 (1.79 a game); against sides new to the division won 0, drew 0, lost 1 of 1 (0.00 a game). ## Step 2 of 4 — Home and away form **+0.70 points a game is the venue form gap, in Brentford's favour: Brentford takes 1.75 a game at home over the last two seasons, Sunderland 1.05 away.** Step two is HOME AND AWAY FORM -- the home side judged on its home record, the away side on its away record, because those are the records that will be on the pitch. The last five reach back into last season where this season is too young to answer, and say so. ### Brentford -- at home - **Its record at the relevant venue:** This season at home: won 1, drew 0, lost 0 of 1, scoring 3 and conceding 0. Last season at home: won 8, drew 8, lost 3 of 19, scoring 33 and conceding 21 -- 1.68 points a game. - **Its last five league matches:** Newest first: drew with Leeds United 1-1 away; beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 at home; drew with Liverpool 1-1 away; drew with Crystal Palace 2-2 at home; lost to Manchester City 0-3 away. The last 3 of these are from last season. - **The dugout:** Our feed records no manager against any of its banked matches, so the dugout cannot be read. ### Sunderland -- away - **Its record at the relevant venue:** This season away: won 0, drew 0, lost 1 of 1, scoring 1 and conceding 2. Last season away: won 5, drew 6, lost 8 of 19, scoring 17 and conceding 28 -- 1.11 points a game. - **Its last five league matches:** Newest first: beat Fulham 1-0 at home; lost to Ipswich Town 1-2 away; beat Chelsea 2-1 at home; beat Everton 3-1 away; drew with Manchester United 0-0 at home. The last 3 of these are from last season. - **The dugout:** Every one of the 40 banked matches with a manager recorded was taken by Régis Le Bris. Who picks the team today is not yet recorded this season, so a summer change of manager would not show in these figures. ## Step 3 of 4 — Goals, and when they come **Brentford scores heaviest in the 76-90+ spell and concedes heaviest in 76-90+; Sunderland scores heaviest in 76-90+ and concedes heaviest in 31-45+. The shapes mesh: Sunderland's strongest scoring spell is exactly where Brentford is softest.** Step three is GOALS, AND WHEN THEY COME. Not just how many each side scores and lets in, but the minute bands they come in, who lands the first blow, what each side does after falling behind, and who finds goals late. A side that concedes early and scores late reads very differently from one that does the opposite, at the same goal difference. Side by side: Brentford scores most in the 76-90+ band (19 of 59); Brentford concedes most in the 76-90+ band (16 of 53); Sunderland scores most in the 76-90+ band (13 of 44); Sunderland concedes most in the 31-45+ band (10 of 50). Who lands the first blow and who lands the last is the question this step exists to ask. ### Brentford -- at home - **Goals a game:** Scores 1.5 and concedes 1.3 a game over its last 40 league matches; at home, 1.8 for and 1.1 against over 20. - **When it scores:** Of 59 scored across its own 40 matches with times recorded: 1-15: 9; 16-30: 6; 31-45+: 12; 46-60: 7; 61-75: 6; 76-90+: 19. Its heaviest scoring spell is after the 75th minute -- 19 of 59 (32%). - **When it concedes:** Of 53 conceded across its own 40 matches with times recorded: 1-15: 6; 16-30: 8; 31-45+: 10; 46-60: 7; 61-75: 6; 76-90+: 16. Its heaviest conceding spell is after the 75th minute -- 16 of 53 (30%). - **The first goal:** Scored first in 21 of its 40 read -- then won 13, drew 5, lost 3; conceded first in 15 -- pulled back 2 wins and 3 draws from them. Across every match where it trailed at some stage it recovered 10 points. - **Two-goal swings:** Led by two goals at some point in 13 of its 40 read, winning 12 of them; trailed by two in 10, rescuing nothing; was ahead at some point without winning in 8. ### Sunderland -- away - **Goals a game:** Scores 1.1 and concedes 1.2 a game over its last 40 league matches; away, 0.9 for and 1.5 against over 20. - **When it scores:** Of 44 scored across its own 40 matches with times recorded: 1-15: 2; 16-30: 7; 31-45+: 5; 46-60: 6; 61-75: 11; 76-90+: 13. Its heaviest scoring spell is after the 75th minute -- 13 of 44 (30%). - **When it concedes:** Of 50 conceded across its own 40 matches with times recorded: 1-15: 8; 16-30: 6; 31-45+: 10; 46-60: 8; 61-75: 9; 76-90+: 9. - **The first goal:** Scored first in 14 of its 40 read -- then won 9, drew 5, lost 0; conceded first in 22 -- pulled back 6 wins and 3 draws from them. Across every match where it trailed at some stage it recovered 22 points. - **Two-goal swings:** Led by two goals at some point in 5 of its 40 read, winning 5 of them; trailed by two in 10, rescuing 1 result; was ahead at some point without winning in 5. ## Step 4 of 4 — The bookies' favourite markets **Averaging the two sides' own rates: over 2.5 goals in 49% of their games, both teams scoring in 50%, and a two-goal lead for one side or the other in 48%. On the record there is no strong lean either way on goals.** Step four is THE BOOKIES' FAVOURITE MARKETS -- over and under, both teams to score, and the two-goal lead that pays the 2UP offer out early -- read from what these two sides have actually produced, with the denominator on every figure. Still no price: these are the match's tendencies, not its odds. How the counting works, once for the whole step: every figure is counted over ONE side's own matches -- Brentford's numbers over its games, Sunderland's over its own. The two clubs are never pooled into one denominator; where a single figure for this fixture is wanted, it is the AVERAGE of the two sides' rates, and says so. For the 2UP offer the fact that matters is a two-goal lead for one team or the other at ANY point, not the final margin. In Brentford's own 20 home matches read, one appeared in 11 (55%). In Sunderland's own 20 away matches read, 8 (40%). Averaging the two sides' rates -- never pooling their matches -- that is 48% of games. ### Brentford -- at home - **Over and under:** Over 2.5 goals in 21 of its own 40 (52%); over 1.5 in 33 (82%); over 3.5 in 14 (35%). At home: over 2.5 in 12 of its 20 (60%). - **Both teams to score:** Both teams scored in 21 of its own 40 (52%). At home: 11 of its 20 (55%). - **Clean sheets and blanks:** Kept a clean sheet in 11 of its own 40 (28%); failed to score in 12 (30%). - **Two goals clear:** Counted over Brentford's own 40 matches read: Brentford or the side it was playing that day went two goals up in 23 (58%). Brentford itself held the lead in 13, winning 12. In its home matches: one side or the other went two up in 11 of 20. ### Sunderland -- away - **Over and under:** Over 2.5 goals in 18 of its own 40 (45%); over 1.5 in 28 (70%); over 3.5 in 7 (18%). Away: over 2.5 in 9 of its 20 (45%). - **Both teams to score:** Both teams scored in 19 of its own 40 (48%). Away: 10 of its 20 (50%). - **Clean sheets and blanks:** Kept a clean sheet in 12 of its own 40 (30%); failed to score in 13 (32%). - **Two goals clear:** Counted over Sunderland's own 40 matches read: Sunderland or the side it was playing that day went two goals up in 15 (38%). Sunderland itself held the lead in 5, winning 5. In its away matches: one side or the other went two up in 8 of 20. ## Your appraisal — and now the market **Brentford and Sunderland finished near neighbours last season -- 9th and 7th of 20 -- so rank alone splits nothing here. Against the block the other keeps: Brentford takes 1.25 points a game, Sunderland 1.77 -- the block form is Sunderland's. +0.70 points a game is the venue form gap, in Brentford's favour: Brentford takes 1.75 a game at home over the last two seasons, Sunderland 1.05 away. Brentford scores heaviest in the 76-90+ spell and concedes heaviest in 76-90+; Sunderland scores heaviest in 76-90+ and concedes heaviest in 31-45+. The shapes mesh: Sunderland's strongest scoring spell is exactly where Brentford is softest. Averaging the two sides' own rates: over 2.5 goals in 49% of their games, both teams scoring in 50%, and a two-goal lead for one side or the other in 48%. On the record there is no strong lean either way on goals.** If the pattern holds -- and a pattern is a shape, not a promise: Brentford lands the first blow more often (21 of 40 to 14 of 40); when a lead builds towards 2UP it is more often Brentford's -- two goals clear in 13 of 40, against 5 of 40; a one-goal lead has not been safe in Brentford's hands -- ahead without winning in 8 of 40; Brentford finds its goals latest of all -- 19 of its 59 after the 75th; Sunderland finds its goals latest of all -- 13 of its 44 after the 75th, and Brentford concedes most in that same spell; the last quarter-hour is where this fixture's money is likeliest to move. That read is built from the four steps, with no price in your ear -- the steps hold the evidence if you want the post-mortem. Now the market gets its say. Where it agrees with you it got there first; where it does not, your read and the crowd's disagree -- that is the conversation this tool exists to set up, and no measured edge backs either side of it. The tissue is a plain goals model: Brentford 1.71 goals expected, Sunderland 0.87, from two seasons of scoring rates (20 home matches and 20 away in the bank), shrunk toward the division average. It is calibrated against nothing and claims no edge -- it exists to make your view concrete before the market speaks. - **Match result:** Our tissue: Brentford 1.74 (57%), the draw 4.21 (24%), Sunderland 5.31 (19%). The market's averages: 1.63, 4.00 and 5.29. All three outcomes sit close to our numbers -- no argument either way. - **Over or under 2.5 goals:** Our tissue: over 2.5 2.10 (48%), under 2.5 1.91 (52%). The market's averages: over 2.5 1.85, under 2.5 2.00. Close to our view -- no argument either way. - **Both teams to score:** Our tissue: yes 2.10 (48%), no 1.91 (52%). The market's averages: yes 1.80, no 1.94. The market is shorter than our number on yes. - **The 2UP fact:** For the 2UP offer the fact that matters is a two-goal lead for one team or the other at ANY point, not the final margin. In Brentford's own 20 home matches read, one appeared in 11 (55%). In Sunderland's own 20 away matches read, 8 (40%). Averaging the two sides' rates -- never pooling their matches -- that is 48% of games. No tissue is offered for this -- the played-match rates above are the honest read. The market figures are the AVERAGE pre-match odds our feed records across books, not a best price -- a shaded average, so small gaps mean nothing. ## Half-time The HTML page reads the second half from any half-time score you give it: /football/wizard/epl/2026-09-05/brentford-v-sunderland/halftime/ Built 2026-09-05T05:39:14+00:00 from matches completed before kick-off.