Brighton & Hove Albion will aim to continue their unbeaten start to the 2024/25 season when they host Ipswich Town at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes with Gameweek 4 after the international break on Saturday with the game between Southampton and Manchester United at St. Mary’s. The action will continue with five subsequent fixtures, including Brighton & Hove Albion vs Ipswich Town at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton & Hove Albion have not taken long to get used to the ways of Fabian Hurzeler. The Seagulls have played a free-flowing brand of football, although they have also appeared vulnerable in the defensive phases. Nevertheless, Hurzeler’s charges are hot off the blocks in the Premier League this term, beating Everton and Manchester United in the first two matchdays before holding Arsenal to a 1-1 draw heading into the international break.
As for Ipswich Town, they have endured a trial by fire on their return to the Premier League. While Kieran McKenna’s men have given a good account of themselves, they could not have done much more in their defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City. However, the Tractor Boys clinched their first point of the new campaign by playing out a 1-1 draw with Fulham in Gameweek 3.
The most recent match featuring Brighton & Hove Albion and Ipswich Town at the Amex Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw. 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
Fabian Hurzeler has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager might be bereft of the services of six first-team players on Saturday.
James Milner is the latest absentee, with the veteran midfielder recovering from a thigh injury. In addition, Solly March (knee) and Matt O’Riley (ankle) remain on the sidelines. Ferdi Kadioglu, Mats Wieffer, and Brajan Gruda face late fitness tests to determine their availability. Meanwhile, Joao Pedro and Julio Enciso have returned late from their international duties and might not be ready to start.
Bart Verbruggen should get the nod over Jason Steele in the goal, with Brighton & Hove Albion lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Ipswich Town. The backline should feature Jack Hinshelwood, Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke, and the fit-again Joel Veltman.
As for the midfield unit, Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari should pair up in the double pivot, with Wieffer and Gruda unlikely to be fit enough to start. Georginio Rutter should reprise the no. 10 role if Pedro and Enciso cannot feature from the get-go. Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will be the two wide attackers, with Danny Welbeck leading the line for Brighton against Ipswich.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Hinshelwood; Baleba, Ayari; Adingra, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck
Ipswich Town
Unlike his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Kieran McKenna does not have a new issue to deal with ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. The Ipswich Town manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Janoi Donacien (groin), Harry Clarke (achilles), and Nathan Broadhead (hamstring) remain on the sidelines. Meanwhile, McKenna has been sweating over the fitness of George Hirst (knee) and Wesley Burns (thigh). But the duo should be fit enough to be in the matchday squad this weekend.
Arijanet Muric should take his spot between the sticks, with Ipswich Town lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Brighton & Hove Albion. The backline should feature Axel Tuanzebe, Luke Woolfenden, Jacob Greaves, and Leif Davis.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Kalvin Phillips and Samy Morsy in the double pivot. The duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park and allow Sammie Szmodics to express himself in the advanced areas. Finally, Jack Clarke and Omari Hutchinson will be the two wide attackers, with Liam Delap spearheading the Ipswich Town attack vs Brighton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Phillips; Clarke, Szmodics, Hutchinson; Delap
Key Stats
- Saturday’s clash will be the first league meeting between Brighton & Hove Albion and Ipswich Town since a 1-1 draw in February 2017 and the first in the top flight since a 2-0 win for Ipswich vs Brighton in January 1983. The Tractor Boys have won two of their last four away league games against Brighton (D1 L1), with those wins coming in March 2014 (2-0) and December 2015 (1-0). They had been winless in their previous eight league visits to the Seagulls before this run (D5 L3).
- Brighton & Hove Albion have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League home games against promoted sides (W5 D7), going down 1-0 to Fulham in February 2023. Meanwhile, the Seagulls have won six of their eight most recent Premier League matches in September (D1 L1), scoring 3+ goals in their last four victories. However, their latest September outing ended in a 6-1 defeat at Aston Villa.
- In a run stretching back to March 2002, Ipswich Town have lost their last five Premier League away games by an aggregate score of 18-3. They are winless in their eight most recent matches on the road in the top flight (D1 L7) since a 2-1 win at Everton in February 2002.
- Ipswich Town have the fewest shots (19), shots on target (7) and the lowest expected goals total (1.2) of any side in the Premier League this season. The Tractor Boys ranked 1st, 2nd and 4th, respectively, for those metrics in the Championship last term.
- Ipswich Town have applied more “pressures” than any other side in the Premier League thus far this season (689), with Omari Hutchinson leading the way among players (128).
Player to Watch
Simon Adingra
While Danny Welbeck has been in the spotlight due to his electric start to the 2024/25 season, we have picked Simon Adingra in this section for his impact despite not being the undisputed first-choice start for Brighton & Hove Albion.
Excluding own goals, Adingra has scored five of Brighton’s last eight Premier League strikes against newly promoted opponents. That accounts for 71% of the Ivorian’s Premier League goals (5/7). The Ivory Coast international will hope to continue that run vs Ipswich Town on Saturday as he looks to help Brighton & Hove Albion extend their unbeaten start to the season.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Ipswich Town
Considering their tallies for shots and expected goals, the numbers might not favour the visitors. However, Ipswich Town might believe they have done well despite a daunting task in the early stages of the 2024/25 season. They must now start racking up the wins, and a vulnerable Brighton & Hove Albion backline might provide some respite.
However, while the Tractor Boys will take the game to their hosts, their defensive deficiencies might also shine. Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra should extend their solid starts to the new season, helping Brighton & Hove Albion clinch a narrow 2-1 win vs Ipswich Town on Saturday.
