Award-sweeping Brighton visit injury-hit Sunderland

📰 Brighton, who swept September's awards, go to an injury-hit Sunderland. 📌 Key points 🏟️ Round six takes Brighton to the Stadium of Light on Saturday 10 October. 🏆 Brighton won September's manager, player and goal of the month awards. ⭐ Pascal Groß, 35, is the first Brighton player to be named player of the month. ⚽ Brighton have scored 16 goals in five games, the most in the league. 🩹 Sunderland's Brian Brobbey and Dan Ballard hurt hamstrings on international duty. 📝 What happened 🏆 Brighton took seven points from three league games in September, scoring nine and conceding one. After a 1-1 draw with Leeds they beat Coventry 5-0 and champions Arsenal 3-0. ⭐ Groß scored twice and made three assists in September to win his first player of the month award, making him the eighth-oldest winner. Fabian Hürzeler won manager of the month for the second time after August 2024, and captain Lewis Dunk took goal of the month for his long-range strike against Coventry. 🩹 Sunderland defender Ballard hurt his hamstring playing for Northern Ireland against Georgia, and there is no return date. Striker Brobbey, who has three league goals, hurt his hamstring in the Netherlands' 1-1 draw with Germany, and both players returned to the club for scans. ✅ Reinildo is back for Sunderland after a suspension. Habib Diarra's recovery from a hamstring problem is going well. 📊 By the numbers • Brighton: 3rd, 10 points, 16 scored, 5 conceded • Sunderland: 14th, 4 points (W1 D1 L3) • Groß in September: two goals, three assists • Brighton's possession: 64.8%, the league's highest 👀 What to watch 🎯 Groß's runs — Without Ballard, Sunderland may need a makeshift centre-back pairing. Who tracks Groß's late runs could decide the game. ⚽ Brobbey's fitness — He is Sunderland's most reliable source of goals. Without him, finding a way through gets much harder. 🔄 The possession battle — Brighton lead the league with 64.8% possession. Can Sunderland sit in and hurt them on the counter? 🔭 Why it matters A win keeps Brighton in the race near the top, while Sunderland need to stay clear of the relegation zone despite their injuries. Kick-off is 3pm local time on Saturday 10 October.