Sunderland have sunk to the bottom of the Premier League table, but that's not their pressing concern on Wednesday night as they host Brentford in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
The Bees are flying high in sixth place in the top-flight standings and they have made a decent run in this competition in recent years, going out to eventual EFL Cup winners Manchester City in the quarter-finals last season.
The teams met once already this season, drawing 1-1 in the Premier League in early September, but the Black Cats' promising start has since fizzled out.
Sunderland v Brentford Tips Summary
Best Bet - Brentford to win @ 1/1
Alternative Bet - Callum Wilson anytime goalscorer @ 7/4
Bet Builder - Over 2.5 goals, Both teams to score & Chemsdine Talbi anytime goalscorer @ 5/1
Sunderland v Brentford Prediction
Best Bet: Brentford to win @ 1/1
Brentford look to have a decent chance to exploit a fourth-round draw that has pitted several potential EFL Cup winners against each other, and they should be able to beat Sunderland in Wednesday's last-16 tie.
With Manchester City facing Brighton, Bournemouth meeting Aston Villa, and Liverpool taking on Chelsea, at least three dangerous sides will be eliminated this week.
Brentford will not want to slip up when they face a rock-bottom Sunderland side that will surely prioritise league survival and their Europa League campaign over any attempt to progress in this competition.
The Bees have not had it easy as this is their third successive away draw in the EFL Cup.
However, they have done the job with minimal fuss, thrashing Championship side Birmingham 6-1 at St Andrew's in the second round and beating League One Reading 2-1 in Berkshire in the last 32.
With no European distractions, Brentford should be able to select a reasonably strong line-up and they have taken this competition seriously in the past, reaching the last eight in each of the last two seasons.
A 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in a game that saw them reduced to nine men is the only fixture the Bees have lost this season and they are unbeaten in their first six road trips of the campaign.
Sunderland's form has plummeted since they last met the Bees, with only one point taken from their last five league games and their only recent victories have come in the Europa League.
With a huge league game at Coventry coming up on Saturday, followed by their next European tie against Dinamo Zagreb, it's understandable if this game isn't the home side's priority, and Brentford have the talent to punish any weaknesses in their line-up.
Alternative Bet: Callum Wilson anytime goalscorer @ 7/4
Callum Wilson may be reminded by the home fans that he used to play in the north-east for Newcastle, but the veteran striker has used this competition to show he hasn't lost his finishing touch and can get on the scoresheet again.
Wilson has been confined to the bench in recent league games, but opened the scoring in the EFL Cup ties at Birmingham and Reading, netting in the first six minutes of each match.
Sunderland v Brentford Bet Builder Tip
Both teams to score
Over 2.5 goals
Chemsdine Talbi anytime goalscorer
Pays 5/1
Start a three-leg bet builder on Wednesday's EFL Cup tie by taking both teams to score.
Brentford are hard to beat but their defences are hardly watertight and both teams have scored in eight of their last nine matches, including the league meeting with Sunderland and both their fixtures in this competition.
As such, if the Bees are to win they should need to score twice and taking over 2.5 goals makes sense. That bet has won in five of their last six fixtures with the exception being Sunday's 1-1 draw at Hull.
Sunderland winger Chemsdine Talbi is another player who, like Wilson, has impressed in limited opportunities this season and he looks a potential scorer for the home side.
The Morocco international made his only start of the season in Sunderland's third-round tie against Hull.
Talbi netted the only goal of the game and he scored four times in the Premier League last season.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Sunderland have won only one of their last six games
Brentford have lost just one of their 10 matches in all competitions this season
The Bees are unbeaten in six away fixtures this term
Both teams have scored in seven of Brentford's last eight games
There have been at least two goals in the last eight meetings between the teams
Callum Wilson has scored the first goal in both of Brentford's EFL Cup ties
Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
