Brighton & Hove Albion will host West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday evening, looking to continue their impressive start to the campaign with the victory at home.
Brighton & Hove Albion are currently on top of the league table with two wins from two league matches ahead of the visit of West Ham United. They have picked up comprehensive victories against Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
On the other hand, West Ham followed up their draw against Bournemouth with a morale-boosting home win against Chelsea. Both teams will be determined to get all three points here and it remains to be seen who comes out on top.
The Hammers have struggled against Brighton in recent seasons, and they will look to end their wait for a win against the Seagulls this weekend. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Back at home tomorrow! 🙌 #BHAWHU 🔜 pic.twitter.com/aMsq2JZxJC
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 25, 2023
Team News and Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
The home side will be without the services of Julio Enciso and Jakub Moder due to injuries. Enciso picked up a knock against Wolves in the second half and is set to miss out. The home side are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jason Steele in goal.
James Milner and Pervis Estupinan will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to cover the central defenders and contribute offensively. Adam Webster should feature alongside Lewis Dunk at the heart of the defence.
In the midfield double pivot, Pascal Gross will start alongside Billy Gilmour. The two players will look to break up the opposition attacks and win the ball back for their side. Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March will be deployed as the wingers, and the two players will look to add creativity and width to the side.
They will look to open up the West Ham defence with their pace and flair. Joao Pedro will be deployed as the central attacking midfielder and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Evan Ferguson is likely to lead the line for Brighton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Milner, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Gross, Gilmour; March, Pedro, Mitoma; Ferguson
West Ham United
The Hammers will be without the services of Nayef Aguerd, who picked up a suspension following his second-half dismissal against Chelsea last weekend. West Ham are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation as well, with Alphonse Areola in goal.
Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri will be deployed as the full-backs, and the two players will look to contribute offensively apart from their defensive responsibilities. Kurt Zouma will start alongside Angelo Ogbonna at the heart of the defence.
Tomas Soucek will start in the midfield double pivot against James Ward-Prowse. Soucek will look to add defensive steel to the midfield, while Ward-Prowse looks to create goalscoring opportunities and add creativity to the side.
Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma will be the wingers here, with Lucas Paqueta starting as the central attacking midfielder. Finally, Michail Antonio will lead the line for the visitors, with Danny Ings missing out.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Emerson; Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion are undefeated in their last 12 matches against West Ham in all competitions.
- Brighton have scored at least two goals in their last three matches against West Ham in all competitions.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in seven of Brighton‘s last eight games in the Premier League.
- Brighton have scored 13 goals in their last six meetings against West Ham.
Key Player
Kaoru Mitoma
Kaoru talks us through *that* goal against Wolves and discusses keeping up with Solly in the scoring charts! 💬
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 24, 2023
The Japanese winger produced a scintillating performance against Wolves and he will look to create all sorts of problems for the West Ham defence as well.
Mitoma has the pace and flair to open up deep defences and he could help create openings for his teammates to exploit. The 26-year-old has been in red-hot form since the start of the season and he is our key man to watch out for.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 West Ham United
Brighton will be the favourites heading into this game. They have won their last two matches and they will be full of confidence. That said, West Ham are no pushovers and they showed that against Chelsea.
This is likely to be a close contest but Brighton have the firepower to get all three points in the end. The home side have scored eight goals in their last two league matches and they are likely to edge this one. A narrow 2-1 win for Brighton is on the cards here.