Brighton & Hove Albion will aim to end a dreadful run of results when they take on a struggling West Ham United side faced with a similar conundrum.
Fabian Hurzeler has come under a lot of pressure as Brighton & Hove Albion are on the verge of bowing out of contention for a European place at the end of the season ahead of the game against West Ham United. They desperately need a win in their next game to stay in some level of contention, but a defeat or more dropped points could potentially end any lingering hopes of continental football for next season.
Brighton were in the mix to make one of the continental competitions a few weeks ago, but it has been nearly one and a half months since their supporters have seen their team win in any competitions. The Seagulls are on a dreadful run of five winless games in the Premier League, and six across all competition if the FA Cup exit was to be included.
Last weekend, they were battered by Brentford, and before that, they were pegged back by a Leicester City side that had failed to score in eight Premier League games. Hurzeler is under increasing pressure to bring a respectable end to a campaign that packed plenty of promise in the early parts, as some more bad results could potentially make the club’s board rethink their decision to install him as the manager.
Meanwhile, West Ham United are in a similar boat to their next opponent Brighton, as Graham Potter’s side have gone six games without a win as things stand. Last weekend, they were very close to winning against a relegated Southampton side only for Lesley Ugochukwue to find an equaliser in the dying stages of the game.
Much like Hurzeler, the rather experienced Graham Potter has plenty of questions to answer as the pressure is truly on him having failed to bring any improvements to this team since taking over as their manager. West Ham are currently 17th in the league, and while they are out of danger of getting relegated, fans are still hoping to have a good enough finish to their season, as Potter will hope for a result against Brighton.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Fabian Hurzeler has a rather long list of absentees to deal with ahead of the weekend’s game with West Ham United, with Jan Paul van Hecke unlikely to return after a head injury last time out. Concussion protocols will ensure his absence, as he joins at least eight other first-team stars on the sidelines.
Among those Joel Veltman and James Milner are back in training and the former might be available in some capacity but not as a starter. The big blow would be the absence of key attacker Joao Pedro after his dismissal against Brentford, as Kaoru Mitoma is likely to replace the Brazilian from last weekend.
Eiran Cashin is the likely candidate to replace van Hecke in the starting lineup and partner up with Lewis Dunk at the heart of the defence. Mats Wieffer should deputise as a right-back, while Carlos Baleba and Jack Hinshelwood should form a midfield partnership. Yankuba Minteh and Matt O’Riley should be part of the attacking setup, with Danny Welbeck leading the line for Brighton.
Probable Lineip (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Wieffer, Cashin, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, Hinshelwood; Minteh, O’Riley, Mitoma; Welbeck
West Ham United
West Ham does not have too many injury-enforced absentees, but there are those set to be assessed before the game to determine their availability. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Edson Alvarez are on that boat, while Vladimir Coufal could replace the former if he was deemed unfit for this trip to Brighton.
The other players on the sidelines are all long-term absentees, including Michail Antonio and Crysencio Summerville, while Aaron Cresswell is missing out with a muscle problem.
Moreover, on-loan striker Evan Ferguson will miss as he is ineligible to face his parent club. In any case, the Irish international has been a bit-part player for the Hammers and would not have started if he was indeed available.
Carlos Soler could edge out Tomas Soucek to partner with James Ward-Prowse for the central midfield berths. Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta could regularly swap places between the central and left positions, with Niclas Fullkrug the favourite to lead the line for West Ham against Brighton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles; Soler, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Kudus, Paqueta; Fullkrug
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion are winless in their last five matches in the Premier League.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have conceded at least two goals in their last five matches in the Premier League.
- Brighton & Hove Albion are undefeated in 14 of their last 15 matches against West Ham United in all competitions.
- West Ham are winless in their last six games in the Premier League.
- West Ham have lost back-to-back away games in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Niclas Fullkrug
Having had a first season in English football worth forgetting, Fullkrug was in the news following his comments on his teammates following the draw with Southampton. The German striker has had an injury-ravaged season but has hit form of late with a goal and an assist in the last four games.
However, those comments following the draw with Southampton did not put the spotlight on the German striker to do his talking on the pitch. Whether he will deliver and silence his doubters remains a big question, but he certainly has a significant opportunity to showcase his class against a Brighton & Hove Albion side that continues to struggle like his West Ham team.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 West Ham United
These are two teams coming into this clash under big pressure to improve their current form and get a positive result under the bag. However, with neither side having the required momentum, particularly Brighton & Hove Albion, their home advantage may not count for anything in this clash.
West Ham are also not in the best of form, with their inability to beat Southampton likely to play a part when it comes to mentality. While either side can clinch a win on Saturday, the safest bet would be to predict an uneventful draw at the Amex. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 stalemate.