Europe (UEFA)
Indonesia
Nigeria

Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Bournemouth - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 2 February 2023, 09:49
Fresh from their second memorable victory over Liverpool in the space of a couple of weeks, Brighton & Hove Albion return to Premier League action with the visit of Bournemouth to the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Seagulls overcame Liverpool 2-1 in their FA Cup fourth-round contest last weekend, while Gary O'Neil's men ended their losing streak by holding Nottingham Forest to a 1-1 draw two weekends ago.

Match preview

Japanese wing king Kaoru Mitoma will be living in the nightmares of Liverpool fans and players alike for weeks to come, as the Brighton attacker gave the Reds a torrid time in their FA Cup showdown and capped off another effervescent display with a sublime winner.

Harvey Elliott had broken the deadlock for the Merseyside giants in the first half, but Lewis Dunk - perhaps unknowingly - diverted Tariq Lamptey's volley into the back of Liverpool's net before Mitoma's delightful volley sealed Brighton's place in round five late on.

Having seen Leandro Trossard move to Arsenal and Moises Caicedo go public with his own desire to join him, Roberto De Zerbi did a magnificent job at ignoring the off-field distractions threatening to derail his team, who have four wins and a draw to show from their last five games in all tournaments.

The outlier in that sequence was a slightly disappointing 2-2 draw with Leicester City in their last Premier League game, but the goal-happy Seagulls remain firmly in European contention, sitting sixth in the table and five points behind Tottenham Hotspur, who have played two games more.

Dunk and Mitoma's strikes against Liverpool saw Brighton score at least two goals in a game for the seventh match running, and only Arsenal (28) and Manchester City (30) have scored more in the Premier League than Brighton's 26 under De Zerbi, and even a reinforced Bournemouth defence should not be expecting miracles on Saturday.

When one thinks of a new owner splashing the cash in the January transfer window, Todd Boehly's spending spree at Chelsea will immediately come to mind, but Bill Foley also oversaw a wholly positive period of market activity at the Vitality Stadium as Bournemouth fight for survival.

The Cherries entered their showdown with Nottingham Forest two weekends ago on the back of six straight defeats, but they were agonisingly close to stealing all three points via Jaidon Anthony's opener before Sam Surridge came off the bench to net an 83rd-minute equaliser for the visitors.

No doubt viewing that stalemate as two points dropped rather than one point gained, Bournemouth are still dancing with the devil in 18th place in the rankings, but they are only adrift of Wolverhampton Wanderers courtesy of an inferior goal difference.

Furthermore, Leicester City, Leeds United and West Ham United are only one point better off than Bournemouth, but the Cherries' away form makes for grim reading, as they have lost each of their last six matches on the road while failing to score in each of their last four.

Brighton secured a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth during their most recent Amex showdown in the 2019-20 season before the Cherries won 2-0 at the Vitality, but most will be expecting the visitors' trip across the South Coast to be a miserable one this weekend.

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:

L

W

L

W

W

D

Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):

L

W

W

W

D

W

Bournemouth Premier League form:

W

L

L

L

L

D

Bournemouth form (all competitions):

L

L

L

L

L

D

Team News

Brighton's cup win over Liverpool was marred by a serious-looking injury to teenage striker Evan Ferguson, who was the victim of a horror tackle from Fabinho that inexplicably only warranted a yellow card.

Ferguson was caught on his Achilles by Fabinho's studs and limped off the field, although the extent of his damage remains unclear, and De Zerbi is also without Facundo Buonanotte, Jakub Moder, Levi Colwill, Adam Lallana and the suspended Alexis Mac Allister.

With injuries now piling up, De Zerbi may be forced to consider a recall for Caicedo after the Ecuadorian's actions apparently led to a banishment from the training ground, but 19-year-old Swedish starlet Yasin Ayari - who may very well become Caicedo's successor - will hope for an immediate introduction to Premier League football after his winter arrival.

As for Bournemouth, O'Neil is still sweating on the fitness of no fewer than five players, with Marcus Tavernier, Philip Billing, Dominic Solanke, Junior Stanislas and Ryan Fredericks all classed as doubtful for Saturday's showdown.

Neither David Brooks nor Lewis Cook should return for the weekend, where new signings Hamed Traore, Antoine Semenyo, Matias Vina and Ilya Zabarnyi will all be in line to make their debuts.

O'Neil will be reluctant to disrupt the harmony too much after a well-earned point against Forest, but Vina and Traore in particular should feel confident of immediately coming into the first XI.

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; Lamptey, Dunk, Webster, Estupinan; Caicedo, Gilmour; March, Gross, Mitoma; Welbeck

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:

Neto; Smith, Stephens, Kelly, Vina; Lerma, Rothwell; Anthony, Traore, Ouattara; Moore

We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Bournemouth

Bournemouth may have made some eye-catching additions over the winter, but there will be no quick fix for O'Neil's side, who have been nothing short of dreadful offensively and defensively away from home.

Previews by email

Top News

29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Gil Vicente vs. Famalicao (Friday, 3.30pm) Gil Vicente and Famalicao get round 27 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga underway when they go head to head at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos on Friday. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bristol City vs. Leicester (Friday, 12.30pm) Having been knocked off their Championship perch, an ailing Leicester City endeavour to reignite their title bid against Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Friday lunchtime. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Vitoria de Guimaraes will be looking to move level with Braga in the Conference League qualification spot when they go head to head with Moreirense on Saturday. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides who could do well with all three points go head to head in round 27 of the Primeira Liga as Estoril Praia play host to Porto at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Saturday. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham boss Marco Silva has admitted he has spoken to Willian about his future with the club. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly discovered the asking price of Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes ahead of the summer transfer window. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Atlanta United can maintain their 100% record at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday when they host the Chicago Fire in the final MLS encounter of the weekend. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly suffered a blow in their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain attacker Xavi Simons, who has starred on loan at RB Leipzig this season. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to keep their faint hopes of European qualification alive, Freiburg will travel to Borussia Park to face Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England trio Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Cole Palmer are among a number of players who could be potential beneficiaries if UEFA agree to increase national team squad sizes from 23 to 26 for Euro 2024. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa Women will welcome fellow Midlands side Leicester Women to the Bescot Stadium for Saturday's lunchtime kickoff. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly increasingly pessimistic about their chances of hiring top managerial candidate Xabi Alonso this summer. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Orlando City will go head-to-head with the New York Red Bulls in gamweek six of the MLS regular season at the Inter&Co Stadium in Florida on Sunday morning. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to keep their European hopes alive, Eintracht Frankfurt will welcome Union Berlin to Deutsche Bank Park on Saturday afternoon in the Bundesliga. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Unbeaten in their five Major League Soccer matches so far, Los Angeles entertain the challenge of Seattle Sounders at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City Women will continue their title bid with a trip to Prenton Park for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Liverpool Women. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to respond following a defeat prior to the international break, Hearts will welcome Europe-chasing Kilmarnock to Tynecastle Park on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham defender Calvin Bassey is expected to overcome an injury issue in time for Saturday's Premier League meeting with Sheffield United. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk RKC Waalwijk will be hoping to move outside of the Eredivisie's relegation zone by gaining a positive result against Heerenveen on Saturday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Go Ahead Eagles could move up to sixth in the Eredivisie table by beating SBV Excelsior on Saturday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to record back-to-back wins either side of the international break, Aberdeen will welcome Ross County to Pittodrie Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid are reportedly prepared to be priced out of a move for Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk AZ Alkmaar will attempt to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches when they play host to Vitesse in Saturday's Eredivisie contest. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A blockbuster Premier League title showdown takes centre stage at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon as reigning champion Manchester City play host to leaders Arsenal. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City duo John Stones and Kyle Walker missed training on Thursday ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with title rivals Arsenal. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling generated the decibel level of boos that would normally be generated from the away end of Stamford Bridge when he miscued a free kick against Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals before the international break. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Champions League-chasing Aston Villa welcome fellow European hopefuls Wolverhampton Wanderers to Villa Park for a Premier League West Midlands derby on Saturday evening. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton will be looking to steer themselves away from the Premier League relegation zone when they travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wolfsburg start life after Niko Kovac with a trip to face Werder Bremen at the Weserstadion in the Bundesliga on Saturday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nice are reportedly prepared to let Jean-Clair Todibo depart for £40m in the summer, alerting the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.