Brighton & Hove Albion will be eager to bounce back to winning ways when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
The games are coming thick and fast across Europe, with Gameweek 34 of the 2022/23 season kicking off less than 48 hours after the last round of fixtures ended. The latest matchday will kick off with the game between Crystal Palace and West Ham United. And the action will end with two simultaneous matches, one of them featuring Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Brighton & Hove Albion have come leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Roberto De Zerbi. And the Italian manager has guided the Seagulls to eighth on the Premier League table. And with three games in hand over fifth-placed Tottenham, they have their fortunes in their own hands. But De Zerbi’s charges have slipped up recently, losing two of their last three matches.
On the other hand, Wolverhampton Wanderers have gradually improved under Julen Lopetegui. The Spaniard inherited a team that was languishing in the relegation zone after a horrendous start to the 2022/23 season. But three wins in four games have helped the Black Country outfit create a sizable gap to 18th-placed Leicester City.
The reverse fixture saw Brighton & Hove Albion eke out a narrow 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Nelson Semedo saw red before half-time, while Pascal Gross scored the late winner. And ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
"We should have forgotten the Wembley match but I think we took the disappointment to Nottingham.
"We will improve by playing these level of games more often. I'm not talking about quality of players… I'm talking about mentality." #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/vgpoTnwXlX
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 28, 2023
Roberto De Zerbi has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager might be bereft of the services of as many as five first-team players.
Joel Veltman is available after regaining fitness and should be fit to start on Saturday. But Tariq Lamptey (knee), Jakub Moder (knee), Adam Lallana (thigh), and Jeremy Sarmiento (ankle) remain on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, De Zerbi is sweating over the fitness of Evan Ferguson, who has been recovering from an ankle injury. While the in-demand striker should be available, he might not be fit enough to start against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
So Danny Welbeck should spearhead the Brighton attack against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The hosts will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation on Saturday, with Kaoru Mitoma, Solly March, and Alexis Mac Allister completing the offensive unit.
Meanwhile, Pascal Gross will return to his preferred role in the double pivot. The versatile German midfielder will pair up with Moises Caicedo in the middle of the park after starting the last two games as a right-back.
The fit-again Veltman should resume his spot on the right side of Brighton’s defence, with Pervis Estupinan featuring on the right flank. Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster will form the central defensive partnership, with Jason Steele starting between the sticks.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Veltman, Dunk, Webster, Estupinan; Caicedo, Gross; March, Mac Allister, Mitoma; Welbeck
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Like his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Julen Lopetegui does not have any new issues hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. The Wolverhampton Wanderers manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Sasa Kalajdzic and Chiquinho remain on the sidelines due to their respective knee injuries. In addition, Lopetegui is sweating over the fitness of Boubacar Traore. And the 21-year-old will unlikely feature for the visitors this weekend.
There is no looking past Jose Sa between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him. The four midfielders will largely remain compact to overload the areas in the middle of the park and thwart Brighton during the build-up play.
Brighton bound on Saturday.
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 27, 2023
Meanwhile, the two full-backs will have the freedom to express themselves in the final third when the opportunities present themselves. Nelson Semedo and Hugo Bueno should be the two full-backs who will often bombard the flanks. Meanwhile, Max Kilman and Craig Dawson should form the central defensive partnership.
Toti Gomes has been a solid performer in the middle of the park in the last few weeks. And the 24-year-old will likely join Ruben Neves, Mario Lemina, and Matheus Nunes in the midfield unit. The four players will look to keep things tight in the centre. But Nunes will often look to push his team forward during transitions.
Finally, Matheus Cunha and Diego Costa should be the two strikers for the visitors. The duo has been the Achilles Heel for Wolverhampton Wanderers this season with their inconsistency. But the two players will have the chance to redeem themselves on Saturday. Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence, and Adama Traore will be among the options on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Bueno; Gomes, Neves, Lemina, Nunes; Cunha, Costa
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion will look to complete their first league double over Wolverhampton Wanderers since 2016/17 on Saturday, following their 3-2 win at Molineux in November.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have scored at least three goals in five different Premier League home games this season, as many times as they had managed in the previous two campaigns combined. Only Arsenal and Manchester City have found the back of the net 3+ times in more different home games this season.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 13 Premier League away games since a goalless draw at Bournemouth in August. They are winless in their last five on the road (D2 L3), having won two of their first four under Julen Lopetegui (D1 L1).
- Brighton & Hove Albion have lost two of their last three Premier League matches (W1), as many as in their previous 13 combined (W7 D4). Their 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest was their heaviest in a league game when scoring first since May 2019, a 4-1 loss to Manchester City.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have benefitted from three own goals in the Premier League this season, with all of these coming since February. No Wolves player has scored more than twice in the league in that time.
Player to Watch
Alexis Mac Allister
Brighton & Hove Albion have blown hot and cold in the last few games. But that has been thanks in part to the injury issues that have plagued Roberto De Zerbi’s squad. However, the hosts will field their strongest possible eleven at some stage on Saturday.
With Evan Ferguson and Joel Veltman returning, Brighton’s strongest suit will be at full strength, that being the midfield unit. And that brings Alexis Mac Allister into the picture ahead of the game on Saturday.
The Argentine international is the beating heart of Brighton’s gameplay, especially when he reprises the no. 10 role. And with Pascal Gross set to return to the midfield, Mac Allister can express himself freely. Expect the 24-year-old to be at his best on Saturday and guide Brighton to a crucial win.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Brighton & Hove Albion slipped up in their top-four chase earlier this week after suffering a shock defeat to Nottingham Forest. But the Seagulls revel in home comforts. And as they get set to play their first match at the Amex Stadium in weeks, the hosts will run riot on Saturday.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have improved considerably in the last few weeks. But Julen Lopetegui’s men do not travel well and have won just two of their 16 games thus far. And that poor record should continue on Saturday, with Brighton clinching a 2-0 win.
