Brighton & Hove Albion will be looking to make it consecutive wins in the Premier League when they hit the road to face bottom-placed Southampton on Saturdya.
Ivan Juric’s Southampton will be looking to secure their third Premier League win when they host tenth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The Saints are ten points off safety, and it seems only a miracle can save them from getting relegated to the EFL Championship.
The home side have suffered 20 defeats in their 25 outings, and they only have nine points thanks to two wins and three draws. While the 2-1 win over Ipswich Town did give their fans some hope, they have lost their last two outings heading into this one.
The Saints have been struggling since the 2024/25 Premier League season began, and they will have to put up a much better fight than they did against Bournemouth (3-1 loss) if they want to get something out of this fixture.
On the other hand, the Seagulls have accumulated 37 points in their 25 outings. While they have only suffered six defeats, Brighton & Hove Albion have played out 10 draws which haven’t helped their cause.
After successive defeats in the Premier League, they got the better of Chelsea in the FA Cup as well as in the league, which will certainly give them confidence heading into this fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
The Saints have a massive boost heading into this fixture as Flynn Downes and Jack Stephens are both back available for this fixture. But, they remain without the services of Adam Lallana, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ryan Fraser, and Ross Stewart.
The home team will line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, where Aaron Ramsdale will be in goal. The back three will be made up of James Bree, Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens. The trio will look to keep things tight at the back, and they will receive significant support from Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters who will take the up role of wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Joe Aribo will partner with Lesley Ugochukwu. The duo will try to control the tempo. Mateus Fernandes will be the attacking midfielder, while Kamaldeen Sulemana will start alongside Paul Onuachu in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Ramsdale; Bree, Bednarek, Stephens; Sugawara, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Walker-Peters; Fernandes; Sulemana, Onuachu
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion could be without as many as seven first-team players in this fixture as Lewis Dunk, Solly March, and Pervis Estupinan’s participation is a major doubt, while Jason Steele, James Milner, Igor Julio, and Ferdi Kadioglu are all on the sidelines.
The visitors will line up in a 5-4-1 formation, where Bart Verbruggen will be in goal. Yankuba Minteh and Tariq Lamptey will be the wing-backs, while Joel Veltman, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Adam Webster will take up the central role in the back five.
Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma will feature on the flanks in the centre of the park. Carlos Baleba will partner with Jack Hinshelwood in a more central role. The duo will look to control the tempo of the game. Finally, Danny Welbeck should lead the line for Brighton against Southampton.
Probable Lineup (5-4-1): Verbruggen; Minteh, Van Hecke, Webster, Veltman, Lamptey; Rutter, Baleba, Hinshelwood, Mitoma; Welbeck
Key Stats
- Southampton have the upper hand when it comes to head-to-head stats as they have won 36 out of the 80 meetings between the two teams, while Brighton & Hove Albion only have 23 wins to their name.
- The last meeting between the Saints and the Seagulls ended in a draw (1-1).
- Brighton & Hove Albion have not lost any of their last six games in this fixtures.
- Southampton have the worst attack as well as the worst defence in the division. They have scored just 19 goals while they have conceded 57 times.
- Fabian Hurzeler’s team have played out the most number of draws in the ongoing Premier League season (10).
Player to Watch
Kaoru Mitoma
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Mitoma has been one of the standout players for Brighton in the ongoing campaign. The 27-year-old has six goals and three assists in his 25 league outings. He has four goal contributions in their last three league wins which suggests his performances have a big say on how things pan out for the team as a whole.
Prediction
Southampton 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Southampton have struggled against most oppositions in the ongoing campaign and things are unlikely to improve for them against Brighton. While the Seagulls have only won three out of their last 12 league games, they have a very solid base and will certainly push hard for all three points against the worst team in the division. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the visitors.
