Brighton & Hove Albion will host Everton at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, looking to continue their recent unbeaten run.
Brighton & Hove Albion are ninth in the Premier League table, and they are unbeaten in their last six top-flight matches heading into the game vs Everton. However, the Seagulls have drawn quite a few of their recent matches, and they will look to turn the stalemates into wins.
Meanwhile, Everton are 16th in the Premier League standings, and they will look to beat the drop the season. The Toffees ended their losing streak with a victory over Tottenham in their last outing, and they will look to grind out another positive result here.
Everton need to start picking up more wins if they want to preserve their status as a top-flight club, and the fans will demand a strong performance from the players here. 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
Brighton & Hove Albion will be without James Milner due to a thigh injury, Igor Julio due to a hamstring complaint, Mats Wieffer due to a thigh injury, and Ferdi Kadioglu through an ankle issue.
Brighton will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Everton, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Tariq Lamptey and Pervis Estupinan will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Jan Paul van Hecke will form the central defensive pairing alongside Lewis Dunk.
As for the midfield unit, Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba will look to win the ball back for their side in the middle of the park and break down the opposition’s attacking moves. Julio Enciso will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will start in the wide areas, with Joao Pedro leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Lamptey, Dunk, van Hecke, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Adingra, Enciso, Mitoma; Pedro
Everton
Tim Iroegbunam misses out with an ankle issue, Seamus Coleman is out with a knock, James Garner is unavailable due to a lower back injury, Dwight McNeil has a knee issue, Armando Broja has an ankle complaint, and Youssef Chermiti has a thigh injury.
Everton will shape up in a 4-4-1-1 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. James Tarkowski will start alongside Jarrad Branthwaite at the heart of the defence.
Jack Harrison and Iliman Ndiaye will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair to the side. Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye will start in the middle of the park, and they will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the side.
Beto will start as the attacking midfielder here, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the line for Everton vs Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Doucoure, Gueye, Ndiaye; Beto; Calvert-Lewin
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion are undefeated in their last six matches in the Premier League.
- 23 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Everton are winless in five of their last six matches in the Premier League.
- Brighton have scored nine goals in their last three matches in all competitions.
- Everton have conceded at least once in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Joao Pedro
The 23-year-old has been in impressive form this season, and Brighton & Hove Albion will need him to step up and deliver if they want to grind out all three points here. The Brazilian international will help create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates, and he will also look to add to his goal-scoring tally for the season.
Everton have been quite vulnerable at the back this season, and the Brazilian will certainly fancy his chances of getting on the score sheet here. So, after his exploits against Manchester United, Pedro will be eager to continue his fine run this weekend.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Everton
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither Brighton & Hove Albion nor Everton will want to end up on the losing side. It will be hard to separate the two teams, and they could end up cancelling each other out. The two sides are likely to share the spoils in a goalscoring draw.
