Relegation-threatened Burnley are all set to hit the road to square up against Brighton & Hove Albion in search of their third win of the season.
Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton & Hove Albion have had a decent start to the new season and they will look to build on it when they host Burnley. The visitors’ return to the English top flight hasn’t gone according to plan so far but they can still change things up and a win against the Seagulls can surely help their cause.
Brighton are currently 8th in the league with 25 points out of their 15 matches. They have won seven, lost four and drawn four so far this season. Their recent form hasn’t been that great as they have only won twice in their last five outings.
Meanwhile, the Seagulls are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 win over Brentford. They dominated the proceedings and were the deserved winners on the day. De Zerbi’s team will look to carry on in a similar fashion when they host Burnley.
The visitors are currently 19th on the points table. Their return to the English top flight has seen them struggle as they only have seven points in their 15 outings. They have tasted victory only twice this season and have suffered defeat on 12 occasions.
In their last five outings, they have lost four and won just once. After a sensational 5-0 win over Sheffield United, Burnley were once again on the receiving end as they lost 1-0 to Wolves. They had their chances but could not make them count and will hope for a better outing against the Seagulls. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton
Roberto De Zerbi will be without the services of Solly March (knee), Ansu Fati (thigh), Julio Enciso (knee), Tariq Lamptey (thigh), Pervis Estupinan (thigh) and Danny Welbeck for this fixture.
Meanwhile, Lewis Dunk and Mahmoud Dahoud are back from suspension. Adam Webster recently picked up a knock, but he could be back in time for this outing. De Zerbi is expected to make a few changes to the XI that started last time out. He will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Jason Steele will be in goal.
Joel Veltman and Pascal Gross will be the full-backs. The duo will look to join the attack at every possible opportunity. Meanwhile, in the heart of the defence, Lewis Dunk will pair up with Igor Julio. The double pivot in the centre of the park will see Carlos Baleba start alongside Billy Gilmour. The duo will look to shield the back four and dictate the pace of this game.
Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will feature out wide on the flanks. The duo will look to stretch the opposition’s defence and use their dribbling skills to get past them. Joao Pedro will be the attacking midfielder and he will look to create chances for Evan Ferguson who will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Veltman, Dunk, Igor, Gross; Baleba, Gilmour; Adingra, Pedro, Mitoma; Ferguson
Burnley
Vincent Kompany will be without the services of Luca Koleosho, Lyle Foster and Jack Cork. Josh Cullen has a race against time to be back fit for this fixture.
The manager analyses Saturdays opponents ahead of Saturday's trip to the South East 👇 pic.twitter.com/kuTQQ7r8HE
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) December 7, 2023
Meanwhile, Jordan Beyer is back in the mix after serving his suspension. The visitors are expected to stick to the 4-4-2 formation, where James Trafford will be in goal. Vitinho and Charlie Taylor will start out wide as the full-backs.
In the heart of the defence, Dara O’Shea will pair up with Beyer. The back four will look to keep a clean sheet against one of the highest-scoring teams in the division. Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Jacob Bruun Larsen will feature on the flanks in the centre of the park. The duo will look to help out their full-backs and also provide width to their attacks.
Sander Berge and Josh Brownhill will feature in a more central role, the duo will try to keep hold of the ball and dictate the pace of the game. In attack, Zeki Amdouni will pair up with Jay Rodriguez.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Trafford; Vitinho, O’Shea, Beyer, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Berge, Brownhill, Bruun Larsen; Amdouni, Rodriguez
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley have faced each other on 39 occasions in all competitions. Both teams have won 12 games each and 15 of their matches have ended in a draw.
- The last outing between the two teams took place back in the 2021-22 season in the Premier League. Both teams won their away matches during that campaign.
- Brighton haven’t won against Burnley at home in their last six meetings. Four of those matches have ended in a draw.
- Burnley only have two wins in 14 away matches in the English top flight.
- The Seagulls are unbeaten at home in their last six games across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Evan Ferguson
Ferguson might have failed to build on the initial success that he had at the start of the season but he is still a special talent who can surely end up being the difference between the two teams in this fixture.
The 19-year-old striker has six goals in his 14 Premier League outings. He averages a goal every 129th minute in the English top flight and will look to add to his tally when he takes the field against Burnley at home.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 Burnley
Brighton might not have won any of their last six home games against Burnley but they are still heading into this fixture as favourites. It has been a while since the two teams squared up against each other and in the meantime, Roberto De Zerbi has transformed the Seagulls into a winning team.
They play a dominating brand of football irrespective of the opposition and will surely look for a win in their fixture. Vincent Kompany’s Burnley have struggled on their return to the Premier League, they only have two wins so far and will push for all three points against Brighton but it might be beyond their capacity to get one better over De Zerbi’s men. The Hard Tackle predicts a comfortable 3-1 win for the home team.
