The first of two Premier League games on Friday night comes to the Amex as Brighton take on Brentford on the south coast.
After a superb start to the season, Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls have edged closer to mid-table obscurity after enduring a rather miserable run of form. Brighton are now five without a win at home, having come from behind to defeat the champions 2-1 on November 9.
Still, the close nature of a chaotic division means the Seagulls are just a couple of bounce wins away from the table, making for much prettier reading.
Brentford have struggled on their travels this term but Thomas Frank’s outfit have exceeded expectations following the departure of Ivan Toney. They suffered their first home defeat of the season at the weekend and have dropped to 12th in the table, but many were worried in pre-season that the west Londoners would flirt with relegation talk.
However, the bees need to start collecting results on the road.
here it is 90 minutes preview of Friday’s Premier League clash.
Head-to-head results Brighton vs Brentford (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Brighton |
Brentford |
|---|---|
|
West Ham 1-1 Brighton – 21/12/24 |
Brentford 0-2 Nottingham Forest – 21/12/24 |
|
Brighton 1-3 Crystal Palace – 15/12/24 |
Newcastle 3-1 Brentford – 18/12/24 |
|
Leicester 2-2 Brighton – 24/12/08 |
Chelsea 2-1 Brentford – 15/12/24 |
|
Fulham – Brighton 3-1 – 05/12/24 |
Brentford 4-2 Newcastle – 07/12/24 |
|
Brighton 1-1 Southampton – 29/11/24 |
Aston Villa 3-1 Brentford – 04/12/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Amazon Prime Video |
|
united states |
peacock |
|
canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 2 Canada |
Hurzeler hopes to have Mats Wieffer available for the visit of Brentford after the Dutchman limped off after scoring his first goal at Brighton on Saturday. The Dutchman, if he is fit, will accompany the excellent Carlos Baleba in the middle of the park.
Yankuba Minteh should come in for Brajan Gruda on the right, and there could be recalls in the squad for Adam Webster and Solly March. Danny Welbeck, however, misses out again with an ankle injury.
The Seagulls are also without Jack Hinshelwood, James Milner and Ferdi Kadioglu for the foreseeable future.
Brighton’s expected line-up against Brentford (4-2-3-1): Bridge; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Stupinan; Baleba, Wieffer; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Ferguson.
Brentford’s injury list is extensive and their problems only got worse at the weekend after Mads Roerslev was forced off with a head injury in the second half. He probably won’t play a role on Friday.
The Bees soon hope to have summer signing Igor Thiago available after a long absence, but the striker is currently battling illness and may not feature until the new year. Ethan Pinnock, Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Rico Henry and Sepp van den Berg will also return next month.
Aaron Hickey is a long-term absentee with a hamstring injury.
Predicted Brentford v Brighton line-up (4-3-3): Stains; Ajer, Collins, Mee, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Wissa, Carvalho.
Saturday’s defeat came as a blow to Brentford after Frank rested key players for the Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat at Newcastle. What was all this for?
Friday’s visitors are in a tough spot and, while Brighton are among the Premier League’s under-performing teams in December, you get the feeling they are closing in on victory. They were very unlucky not to claim all three points at West Ham on Saturday.
While Brentford were once the type of team capable of stymieing Brighton’s possession game and wreaking havoc on the counter, their poor defensive performance this season suggests the hosts should have plenty to cheer about on Friday.
This has the makings of a proper game for Hurzeler’s men, with the visitors’ losing streak stretching to four games in all competitions.
