Surprise title contenders Brighton & Hove Albion are all set to host Brentford in Gameweek 10 on Sunday afternoon.
Having won their last two outings in all competitions, Brighton will look to make it three in a row when they welcome Brentford to Amex Stadium. After a three-match winless run in the Premier League, the Bees returned to winning ways last time out and will be eager to build on it.
The home team are 3rd in the Premier League with 19 points in their 9 outings. They have won six of those fixtures and have played some incredible football along the way. After a dominant start to the season, the Seagulls hit a rough patch and went winless in three games across competitions.
However, they have bounced back with 1-0 wins over Manchester City and Getafe and will look to carry the confidence into this home game against an in-form Brentford side.
The Bees are 7th on the table with 14 points in their nine outings. While they have played out five draws, they have only suffered one league defeat so far. After a run of four games without a win across competitions, Brentford got things back on track with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Despite getting dominated for most parts of the game, the Bees made the most of their chances and secured all three points. Brighton are also likely to dominate the ball here, but the visitors could cause serious problems on the break, as seen against Forest. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
The home team will be without the services of Kaoru Mitoma (hamstring), Stefanos Tzimas (knee), Zadok Yohanna (knock), and Evan Ferguson (ankle) due to injury. Pascal Struijk (fitness concern) and Femi Azeez (muscle) are closing in on a return, but this fixture might come a touch too early for them.
Bart Verbruggen is expected to start between the sticks, with Ferdi Kadioglu and Olivier Boscagli operating as the full-backs. Luka Vuskovic should partner Lewis Dunk in the heart of the defence, with the pair tasked with keeping the opposition attack at bay.
Pascal Gross and Chema Andres are likely to form the double pivot, while Yasin Ayari operates in the number 10 role. The trio will look to dominate the ball and control the tempo of the game. Diego Gomez and Maxim De Cuyper should provide the width, with Charalampos Kostoulas spearheading the Brighton attack vs Brentford on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Kadioglu, Vuskovic, Dunk, Boscagli; Gross, Andres; Gomez, Ayari, De Cuyper; Kostoulas
Brentford
The visitors will be without the services of Rico Henry (hip), Kaye Furo (foot), Josh Dasilva (hamstring) and Fabio Carvalho (knock) due to injury. Meanwhile, Antoni Milambo (match fitness) is back training but might not be risked in this fixture.
Brentford will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion, where Caoimhin Kelleher is expected to continue in goal, with Michael Kayode and Keane Lewis-Potter operating as the full-backs. Kristoffer Ajer should partner Sepp van den Berg in central defence.
The back four will look to keep things tight, and they will receive significant support from Yegor Yarmolyuk and Vitaly Janelt, who are likely to form the double pivot.
Mathias Jensen will take charge as the attacking midfielder, while Jaidon Anthony and Kevin Schade should provide the width to their attack from the flanks. Igor Thiago will continue to lead the line for Brentford vs Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Yarmoliuk, Janelt; Anthony, Jensen, Schade; Thiago
Key Stats
- Brentford have been winless in their last five away games against Brighton, losing three.
- The Seagulls have won their last three home games, scoring 12 goals without conceding.
- The Bees have found the net in all 12 of their matches across competitions this season.
- No team has scored more than Brighton’s 24 league goals or kept more than their six clean sheets this season.
- The Bees have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 league games, although seven of those fixtures have ended in draws.
Player to Watch
Charalampos Kostoulas
The 19-year-old Greek striker, who joined the Seagulls in the summer of 2025, has taken his game to the next level this season and has established himself as a key figure in Fabian Hurzeler’s team. He has racked up 843 minutes of first-team action in his 12 outings across competitions.
The teenager has a total of nine goal contributions; six of those have come in the Premier League. He didn’t feature against Getafe and fired blanks in their last two league outings; as a result, he will certainly be eager to get his name on the scoresheet here.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Brentford
Brighton have been excellent at the Amex Stadium this season and will be confident of extending their impressive home run. Their attacking quality and ability to control possession could make life difficult for Brentford, particularly with the visitors struggling to keep clean sheets on the road.
However, Brentford have shown plenty of resilience and possess the pace to trouble Brighton on the counter. The Bees should make a contest of it, but the Seagulls’ recent home form and greater attacking threat could prove decisive. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for the home team.
