The first of two Premier League matches arrives on Friday night at the Amex as Brighton take on Brentford on the south coast.
Having started the season brightly, Fabian Horzler's Seagulls have drifted into mid-table territory after enduring a very poor run of form. Brighton are winless in five matches and have not achieved a win at home since coming from behind to beat the defending champions 2-1 on November 9.
However, the messy, crowded nature of the split means the Seagulls have only managed two wins on the bounce off the table which makes for much better reading.
Brentford have struggled on their travels this season, but Thomas Frank's side have nonetheless exceeded expectations in the wake of Ivan Toney's exit. They suffered their first home defeat of the season at the weekend and dropped to 12th in the table, but many were concerned in pre-season that the west London side would flirt with the relegation conversation.
However, the bees should start getting results down the road.
here 90 minutes Preview of Friday's Premier League clash.
Brighton and Brentford live results (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
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Brighton |
Brentford |
|---|---|
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West Ham 1-1 Brighton – 12/21/24 |
Brentford 0-2 Nottingham Forest – 21/12/24 |
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Brighton 1-3 Crystal Palace – 12/15/24 |
Newcastle 3-1 Brentford – 12/18/24 |
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Leicester 2-2 Brighton – 12/08/24 |
Chelsea 2-1 Brentford – 12/15/24 |
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Fulham 3-1 Brighton – 12/05/24 |
Brentford 4-2 Newcastle – 12/07/24 |
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Brighton 1-1 Southampton – 29/11/24 |
Aston Villa 3-1 Brentford – 12/04/24 |
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nation |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|---|---|
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UK |
Amazon Prime Video |
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US |
peacock |
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Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 2 Canada |
Horzler will be hoping Mats Wever will be available for the visit of Brentford after the Dutchman was taken off the field having just scored his first goal at Brighton on Saturday. The Dutchman, if fit, will partner the excellent Carlos Paleba in midfield.
Yankuba Miente should replace Brajan Gruda on the right flank, and there could be a call-up for Adam Webster and Solly March. But Danny Welbeck is absent again due to an ankle injury.
The Seagulls will also be without Jack Hinshelwood, James Milner and Ferdi Kadioglu for the foreseeable future.
Brighton's expected lineup against Brentford (4-2-3-1): bridge; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estopinan; Baliba, weaver; Mente, Pedro, Mituma; Ferguson.
Brentford's injury list is extensive and their problems worsened at the weekend after Mads Rorslev was forced off with a head injury after coming on in the second half. He likely won't play a role on Friday.
The Bees will soon be hoping summer signing Igor Thiago will be available after a lengthy absence, but the striker is currently suffering from an illness and may not feature until the new year. Ethan Pinnock, Josh DaSilva, Mattias Jensen, Rico Henry and Sepp van den Berg are also likely to return next month.
Aaron Hickey is out for a longer period with a hamstring injury.
Brentford expected lineup against Brighton (4-3-3): spots; Ager, Collins, May, Lewis Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbwemo, Wesa, Carvalho.
Saturday's defeat looked to be a huge blow to Brentford after Frank rested key players in their Carabao Cup quarter-final loss to Newcastle. Why was all this?
Friday's visitors are in for a tough moment, and although Brighton rank among the Premier League's poorest performers in December, you sense they are closing in on victory. It was very unfortunate that they did not get the three points against West Ham on Saturday.
While Brentford were once the type of team capable of thwarting Brighton's possession game and wreaking havoc on the counter-attack, their poor defensive display this season suggests the home side should be feeling plenty of joy on Friday.
This is a good game for Horzler's men, as the visitors' losing streak extends to four matches in all competitions.
