Brighton & Hove Albion will hope to begin their 2023/24 Premier League campaign with a bang when they host Luton Town at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
The wait is over, with the 2023/24 season finally beginning on Friday, with reigning champions Manchester City kick-starting the campaign at Turf Moor against Burnley. The action on Saturday will get underway in the capital, with Arsenal hosting Nottingham Forest at the Emirates. And the pace will pick up with a gamut of games, including the meeting between Brighton & Hove Albion and Luton Town at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton & Hove Albion come into 2023/24 on the back of a memorable 2022/23 campaign. The Seagulls lost Graham Potter only a month into the season, with Roberto De Zerbi replacing him. But no one could have foreseen the kind of impact the Italian tactician has had thus far.
They are playing a more free-flowing brand of football, which helped them finish sixth in the standings. So the new season will feature European football, with Brighton qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. But De Zerbi’s men have not warmed up well for the upcoming campaign, winning only one of their four pre-season games. Nonetheless, the hosts will be confident of a solid term.
On the other hand, Luton Town will feature in the Premier League for the first time this term. And the Hatters took the scenic route to the top flight, passing through the playoffs to secure promotion. And unlike Brighton, the visitors were in good form during their pre-season campaign, losing only one of their six fixtures. Meanwhile, they have been busy in the transfer market to get ready for a gruelling campaign.
The most recent match-up featuring Brighton & Hove Albion and Luton Town came in February 2009 in the Johnstones Paint Trophy, with the Hatters winning the clash on penalties. And The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
"Luton tomorrow will be one of the most difficult games this season. Our motivation and spirit is very important.
"For them it will be a historic day. We have to fight if we want to win. We have to play like a top team." #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/bgQCXPqW4s
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 11, 2023
Roberto De Zerbi does not have many fitness concerns hampering his preparations heading into the season-opening fixture. Against Luton Town on Saturday, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager might be without only four first-team players.
Jakub Moder is the only certain absentee as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Meanwhile, De Zerbi revealed in his pre-match press conference that Adam Webster and Adam Lallana will face late fitness tests to determine their availability.
But the most notable absentee will be Moises Caicedo, who misses out amid widespread speculation surrounding his future. Otherwise, De Zerbi will have all his troops at his disposal, with Webster and Lallana likely to make it to the game this weekend.
Jason Steele should feature ahead of Bart Verbruggen, with the Dutchman having to work hard to earn his spot as the first-choice goalkeeper. Meanwhile, Brighton will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of Steele against Luton Town on Saturday.
Pascal Gross seems to be the first-choice right-back, at least for the initial stages of the 2023/24 season. And the German utility man will line up alongside Webster, Lewis Dunk and Pervis Estupinan in the defensive unit. Meanwhile, new signing Mahmoud Dahoud will fill in for Gross in the double pivot, with Billy Gilmour covering for Caicedo.
The duo will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park, enabling the four attackers to express themselves freely. Meanwhile, record signing Joao Pedro will likely feature behind the central striker, who should be Danny Welbeck. Finally, Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma will be the two wide attackers on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Gross, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Gilmour, Dahoud; March, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
Luton Town
Unlike his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Rob Edwards has a few pressing issues to deal with ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. The Luton Town manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Reece Burke (knock), Gabriel Osho (knee), Dan Potts (ankle), and Jordan Clark (ankle) are the four absentees for Luton Town. But there is some good news, as Mads Andersen has recovered from an illness to be available for the season-opening fixture this weekend.
Thomas Kaminski, who has joined Luton this summer from Blackburn Rovers, should take his spot between the sticks. And Luton Town will line up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of the 30-year-old, looking to play with a defensive-minded approach.
🗣️ “We’ve got to be really disciplined”#BRILUT | #COYH
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) August 11, 2023
Andersen should resume his duties in the central defensive unit, lining up alongside Tom Lockyer and Amari’i Bell. Meanwhile, Issa Kabore and Ryan Giles should be the two wing-backs. The duo will often drop deep to create a back five, looking to rob Brighton of the required real estate in the defensive third.
But the wing-back pairing will also hold the key during transitions, with their deliveries bringing the attackers into the picture. Meanwhile, the three midfielders will adopt a defence-first approach, looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park.
Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, the most inspirational story in the Premier League today, will likely join Marvelous Nakamba and Luke Berry in the midfield trifecta. The trio will look to frustrate the Brighton attackers while embarking on quick transitions. Finally, Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris will be the two strikers on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Kaminski; Andersen, Lockyer, Bell; Kabore, Mpanzu, Nakamba, Berry, Giles; Adebayo, Morris
Key Stats
- The only previous top-flight encounters between Brighton & Hove Albion and Luton Town came in the 1982/83 campaign, with the Hatters enjoying a 5-0 win at home and a 4-2 victory on the road. The away team has won only six of the 56 league games between these clubs.
- Brighton & Hove Albion lost three of their six league games against newly-promoted sides last season, as many as they suffered in their previous three campaigns combined. It was also as many losses as they recorded against the five teams that finished above them in the table.
- None of the last four Premier League debutants suffered relegation in their first season (Bournemouth, Huddersfield Town, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford).
- Luton Town are without a win in 26 top-flight away matches since a 2-1 victory at Aston Villa in March 1991.
- The Hatters took only five points out of a possible 63 in away matches in their most recent top-flight campaign in 1991/92.
Player to Watch
Kaoru Mitoma
Brighton & Hove Albion’s record signing Joao Pedro was a candidate to feature in this section. But we have gone ahead with Kaoru Mitoma as our pick for the Player to Watch ahead of the clash with Luton Town at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
Mitoma is the only piece of the famous Brighton trifecta that guided the Seagulls to European qualification last season. And after deciding to stay put at the Amex Stadium, he should become a talismanic figure for Brighton. Expect his directness in the final third to wreak havoc, helping the Seagulls make a strong start to the season.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Luton Town
Brighton & Hove Albion could not have asked for a better game to start the 2023/24 season after a sub-par pre-season campaign. The Seagulls host Luton Town, who might have one of the worst defensive units in the upcoming season. But that is not to say that Rob Edwards and his charges will not give their hosts a run for their money.
With the team transitioning a little this season, the offensive unit is not well-settled. But Kaoru Mitoma and new signing Joao Pedro should be in their element on Saturday. And while Luton Town will take the game to Brighton, we expect the home team to rally to three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 victory for Roberto De Zerbi and his charges.
