Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City will be desperate to return to winning ways when they face off at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 32. The action on Saturday will kick off with the game between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad before continuing with three simultaneous matches, including Brighton & Hove Albion vs Leicester City at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton & Hove Albion have blown hot and cold throughout the 2024/25 season. While the Seagulls have been impressive in their first season after losing Roberto De Zerbi, their defensive frailties have pegged them back in several matches. That inconsistency has hampered Fabian Hurzeler’s men in their recent outings, with the hosts failing to win their last four ties in all competitions.
On the other hand, Leicester City will likely return to the EFL Championship after a horrendous 2024/25 campaign thus far. Things have gone from bad to worse since the former Premier League champions parted ways with Steve Cooper, with goals drying up in the last few weeks.
The Foxes are on an eight-match losing run, failing to score in each game. That has made them the first team in Premier League history to achieve that feat. With morale at an all-time low at the King Power Stadium, it will be surprising to see them close a 12-point gap to Wolverhampton Wanderers to retain their Premier League status.
The reverse fixture saw Leicester City come from two goals down to hold Brighton & Hove Albion to a 2-2 draw, with Bobby De Cordova-Reid scoring the equaliser. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Fabian Hurzeler has a new roster issue that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager might be bereft of the services of as many as ten first-team players vs Leicester City on Saturday.
Jan Paul van Hecke is the latest absentee after seeing red last weekend against Crystal Palace. The Dutch defender has joined Jason Steele (shoulder), Joel Veltman (foot), Adam Webster (thigh), Tariq Lamptey (ankle), Igor Julio (hamstring), Ferdi Kadioglu (ankle), James Milner (thigh), and Georginio Rutter (ankle) on the sidelines. In addition, Hurzeler has been sweating over Kaoru Mitoma’s fitness, but the Japanese international should be available.
Bart Verbruggen will take his spot between the sticks, with Brighton & Hove Albion lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Leicester City on Saturday. The backline should feature Jack Hinshelwood, Eiran Cashin, Lewis Dunk, and Pervis Estupinan.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari in the double pivot. Joao Pedro will reprise the no. 10 role, with Yankuba Minteh and Mitoma being the two wide attackers. Finally, Danny Welbeck will lead the line for Brighton against Leicester City on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Cashin, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
Leicester City
Like his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Ruud van Nistelrooy has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. The Leicester City manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Facundo Buonanotte is the latest absentee, as he cannot face his parent club. The Argentine playmaker accompanies Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (knee) on the sidelines, while Harry Winks will unlikely feature after his recent bust-up.
Mads Hermansen is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Leicester City lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The central defensive unit will likely feature Wout Faes, Caleb Okoli, and Luke Thomas. James Justin and Victor Kristiansen will start as the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will provide width in the final third and support the centre-backs. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Boubakary Soumare and Wilfred Ndidi. Finally, Jamie Vardy will spearhead the Leicester City attack against Brighton & Hove Albion, with Bilal El Khannouss and Jordan Ayew completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hermansen; Faes, Okoli, Thomas; Justin, Ndidi, Soumare, Kristiansen; El Khannouss, Ayew; Vardy
Key Stats
- After losing six of their first eight Premier League games vs Leicester City (D2), Brighton & Hove Albion are unbeaten in the subsequent five against the Foxes in the top flight (W2 D3). The Foxes have lost their last two Premier League away games against Brighton, having won on three of their previous four visits (D1). They have never lost three successive league games on the road against the Seagulls.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have their last two Premier League games, as many as their previous 13 outings (W6 D5). The Seagulls have not suffered more consecutive league defeats since March 2022 under Graham Potter (6).
- Leicester City have lost their last eight Premier League games without scoring a single goal. They could become the first team to lose nine consecutive top-flight games without reply in history.
- Since hammering Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-0 on April 29 2023, Brighton & Hove Albion have won none of their seven Premier League games in April (D2 L5), their four most recent outings in a row.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have won only 1.25 points per game in Premier League games against sides starting the day in the drop zone, losing (14) more games than they have won (13). However, they beat Southampton 4-0 at St. Mary’s in February in their most recent clash of this sort.
Player to Watch
Yankuba Minteh
While Danny Welbeck, Jamie Vardy, and Bilal El Khannouss were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Yankuba Minteh as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City at the Amex Stadium.
The Gambian winger has established himself as one of Brighton’s pivotal figures, with his output improving in recent outings. Minteh has been involved in seven goals in his last ten Premier League starts for Brighton (G4 A3).
Overall, the 20-year-old has five goals and four assists, and only one African player has been involved in ten goals in a season before turning 21 – Peter Ndlovu (10 in 1992/93 and 1993/94 for Coventry City). Minteh will fancy his prospects of breaching that barrier this weekend.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Leicester City
Leicester City might have produced a spirited performance to hold Brighton & Hove Albion to a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture. However, things have changed drastically since then, and the visitors have struggled to find the back of the net for a long time.
Meanwhile, only Southampton (5) have picked up fewer away Premier League points than Leicester City this season (8), with the Foxes losing nine of their last ten on the road, including the four most recent outings without scoring. In addition, they have not won an away Premier League game against a team starting the day in the top half of the table since May 2021 at Manchester United.
The Foxes have picked up only four points in 24 games since that clash (D4 L20). So, the listless Leicester City should not trouble Brighton & Hove Albion, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Fabian Hurzeler and his charges.
