Brighton & Hove Albion will kick-start their maiden European campaign at the Amex with AEK Athens, their first opponent of the Europa League opener.
When Graham Potter departed Brighton & Hove Albion to join Chelsea, anybody in their right mind envisaged a stellar finish to their campaign under Robert De Zerbi. Not only did they finish well above the Stamford Bridge outfit, but they also qualified for the Europa League group stages. And Brighton will kick-start their European adventure against AEK Athens this midweek.
Brighton have lost some key players like Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo. But De Zerbi appeared unfazed by it and strengthened the team according to his specifications. Such is the quality of their squad that the Italian tactician managed to make six changes during their win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in anticipation of this unfamiliar midweek European clash.
Together at the start of another BIG week! ✊ pic.twitter.com/6CWAvD0wo0
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 18, 2023
The home crowd will certainly be excited about the prospect of supporting their team through a European journey. Brighton have also garnered confidence with recent results, especially the Manchester United one. They will want to start this campaign with a win as the other teams are very tough, with Marseille and Ajax also part of their group.
AEK Athens will see themselves as underdogs in a tough Europa League group. The Greek champions did make it to the Champions League qualifying rounds. But after a decent start, they fell prey to Royal Antwerp. Had results gone the other way around, AEK Athens might have found themselves facing Barcelona on a Tuesday night rather than playing Thursday evening football.
As for their group, AEK Athens have drawn some tough opponents, with Brighton, Ajax and Marseille standing in their way. Nobody expects Matias Almeyda’s side to make headlines during this campaign in Europe. Still, if they manage to enter the next round through this group, then many have to take them seriously.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Roberto De Zerbi made massive changes to his lineup for the Manchester United game. But the one for Thursday could feature some of his key stars. For starters, he might prefer James Milner’s experience in Europe and deploy him at right-back.
It's nearly time. 👀 @EuropaLeague 🔜 pic.twitter.com/HUGzxVqOui
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 20, 2023
Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster could resume their central defensive partnership, although Tariq Lamptey might continue at left-back. Pervis Estupinan remains sidelined alongside other key members, including Julio Enciso and Solly March.
De Zerbi could start with Billy Gilmour in his midfield alongside Pascal Gross. Joao Pedro could also return in an attacking role behind the central striker. Going by his selections at the weekend, Simon Adingra might continue in March’s absence, while the manager could bring Ansu Fati to start on the left-hand side.
The move may see Kaoru Mitoma handed a place on the bench, but that will serve Brighton well for the busy fixture list this month and the next. Finally, Evan Ferguson could lead the line in place of weekend goalscorer Danny Welbeck, which is a wise choice from De Zerbi.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Milner, Webster, Dunk, Lamptey; Gross, Gilmour; Adringa, Pedro, Fati; Ferguson
AEK Athens
Matias Almeyda has a long enough injury list to contend with, as at least four players are confirmed absentees and one highly doubtful. The latter is forward Rodolfo Pizarro, who remains a doubt but is still included in Athens’ squad for the Brighton game.
📄 Η αποστολή της ομάδας μας για τον εκτός έδρας αγώνα απέναντι στην @OfficialBHAFC @EuropaLeague #bhaaek #aekfc #aekfcseason2023_2024 #UEL pic.twitter.com/xgtLiBrYmn
— AEK F.C. (@AEK_FC_OFFICIAL) September 19, 2023
With the injuries at the back mounting up, unsurprisingly, Almeyda has only taken one centre-back for the trip to England. Gerasimos Mitoglou is the lone centre-back in the squad. Experienced defender Djibril Sidibe could fill in at centre-back for this clash and partner Mitoglou at the heart of the defence.
Athens will likely continue with their three-man midfield unit with Damian Szymanski sitting at the base. The more attack-minded Niclas Eliasson and Steven Zuber will play on either side, with Orbelin Pineda in the more advanced role. Up front, Almeyda will prefer to start with two strikers. Petros Mantalos and Ezequiel Ponce could be those stars to aim and thwart Brighton’s sturdy defence.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Stankovic; Rota, Sidibe, Mitoglou, Mohammadi; Eliasson, Szymanski, Zuber; Pineda; Mantalos, Ponce
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion will play European football for the first time in their history. None of the last six English debutant teams have lost their first game in Europe (W4 D2).
- Brighton have won four of their five matches in the Premier League season so far.
- AEK Athens have lost their last six major European games against English opponents, conceding 16 and scoring just three. Their last win against an English team was in 1977 against QPR, a 3-0 victory in the UEFA Cup.
- AEK Athens have won just one of their last 19 matches in major European competition (D7 L11), losing ten of their last 11.
Player to Watch
Ansu Fati
Ansu Fati: “I want to have a really great season at Brighton — fight for the team, try to qualify for Europe again like they did last year”. 🔵✨ #BHAFC
🇪🇺 “If we can qualify for the Champions League that would be even better…”, he added. pic.twitter.com/lcS8gK1OzU
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 11, 2023
Talking about European pedigree, Ansu Fati, still only very young in his footballing career, may pack a great deal of experience in big competition from his time with Barcelona. Yet, the attacker is at Brighton & Hove Albion, trying to resurrect his career and about to play in the club’s most important game known to their fans.
Roberto De Zerbi and Fati hope for a fantastic season together, which could help both parties in many ways. The Europa League is the reason why the Spaniard arrived here. But now it is show time and performances here will probably show how the young star shapes up his revival season.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 AEK Athens
If the result against Manchester United had any bearing, one would expect Brighton to sweep AEK Athens aside. Roberto De Zerbi’s side is well-drilled in all tactical aspects, and as the season progresses, they will only get better at what they do.
AEK Athens, for their part, come into this fixture and the Europa League campaign as a whole as underdogs and will want to make their mark. However, Brighton are one of the early favourites to qualify for the next stage, and De Zerbi’s men will show that quality first-hand at the Amex with a comfortable win.
