A spot in the EFL Cup fourth round will be on the line when Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers meet in the third round at the Amex on Wednesday.
The EFL Cup has resumed this week with the third round, which will feature matches across two weeks. Tuesday will feature seven games before Wednesday brings us two fixtures, with the action on the day starting with the tie between Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Amex Stadium, with a place in the fourth round up for grabs.
Brighton & Hove Albion have been superb in the early days of the 2024/25 season, with Fabian Hurzeler already getting his ideas across his squad. The Seagulls are yet to lose a game, rising to sixth on the Premier League table while being one of only five unbeaten teams.
Hurzeler’s men reached the third round by cruising to a 4-0 win over Crawley Town in the previous stage. Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion head into this weekend’s clash on the back of a goalless stalemate against Ipswich Town. On the other hand, Wolverhampton Wanderers have struggled in the first few weeks of the 2024/25 season.
The Black Country outfit would have hoped for a better start to the Premier League campaign, managing only one point in four outings thus far. Meanwhile, Gary O’Neil’s charges qualified for the EFL Cup third round by beating Burnley 2-0 in the previous stage, with Goncalo Guedes scoring a match-winning brace.
The most recent match-up featuring Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers came in the FA Cup fifth round, with Mario Lemina scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win. 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 greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players.
Mats Wieffer is fit and available after shrugging off a knock. However, Wednesday’s game might have come too soon for Joao Pedro, who missed the game this weekend due to a niggle he picked up in the international break. Matt O’Riley (ankle), Brajan Gruda (unspecified), James Milner (hamstring), and Solly March (knee) remain on the sidelines.
Jason Steele will take his spot between the sticks, with Brighton & Hove Albion lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The backline should feature Tariq Lamptey, Adam Webster, Igor Julio, and Pervis Estupinan.
As for the midfield unit, Jakub Moder and Yasin Ayari will likely pair up in the double pivot, with Julio Enciso reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Georginio Rutter should lead the line for Brighton against the Black Country outfit, with Cameron Peupion and Simon Adingra being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Lamptey, Webster, Igor, Estupinan; Moder, Ayari; Peupion, Enciso, Adingra; Rutter
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Unlike his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Gary O’Neil has pressing issues to deal with ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. The Wolverhampton Wanderers manager will be without eight first-team players on Wednesday.
Nelson Semedo, Toti Gomes, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Andre Trindade are close to returning to action. However, Wednesday’s EFL Cup fourth-round clash has come too soon for the quartet. Meanwhile, Boubacar Traore, Bastien Meupiyou, Enso Gonzalez, and Sasa Kalajdzic remain on the sidelines.
Jose Sa will likely take his spot between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Brighton & Hove Albion. The backline should feature Pedro Lima, Santiago Bueno, Craig Dawson, and Matt Doherty.
As for the midfield unit, Mario Lemina and Tommy Doyle will likely pair up in the double pivot, hoping to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Pablo Sarabia, Hwang Hee-chan, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde will play the supporting cast to Goncalo Guedes, with the trio remaining compact and allowing the full-backs to provide width in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sa; Lima, Santiago Bueno, Dawson, Doherty; Lemina, Doyle; Hwang, Sarabia, Bellegarde; Guedes
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers have crossed paths 43 times in all competitions. The Seagulls have the superior head-to-head record with 19 wins (D15 L9).
- Brighton and Wolverhampton Wanderers have met just once in the Carabao Cup, in the 1969 third round, with the Black Country outfit clinching a 3-2 winning. Interestingly, that match was the first competitive meeting between the two sides.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have kept three clean sheets in their five games across all competitions this season.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have kept clean sheets in their last two home meetings with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have managed only one win thus far in the 2024/25 season, which came in the EFL Cup second round.
Player to Watch
Evan Ferguson
While a place in the starting lineup may evade Evan Ferguson, he will likely appear off the bench as he continues to build his fitness and sharpness after a spell on the sidelines. In addition, the game might be evenly poised when he takes the field in the second half.
So, Ferguson has an opportunity to make his mark with his cameo as he looks to regain his place in the starting lineup. The Republic of Ireland international has lost his spot as the first-choice striker to the in-form Danny Welbeck. So, the onus is on the young striker to deliver the goods and give Fabian Hurzeler a selection headache.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers have struggled at the back in their first four Premier League games, and their only clean sheet came in the EFL Cup second round. On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion have looked free-flowing in the final third and cruised past Crawley Town in the previous stage.
However, the two teams should lock horns in a closely contested affair at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday, with heavy rotation bringing the quality gap down. The match might go down the wire, with Evan Ferguson appearing off the bench to make the difference. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 win for Fabian Hurzeler and his charges.