MX23RW : Friday, January 7 05:33:16| >> :120:34804:34804:
Dec 26, 2021 at 8pm UK at Falmer Stadium
BrightonBrighton & Hove Albion
2-0
BrentfordBrentford
Trossard (34'), Maupay (42')
Webster (59')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Bech Sorensen (38'), Norgaard (45'), Toney (77')

Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Brentford - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Premier League clash between Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Brighton & Hove Albion play host to Brentford on Boxing Day looking to end a 12-match winless streak in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Brentford have collected two victories from their last four outings, leaving the Bees level on points with their hosts in the Premier League standings.


Match preview

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter celebrates after the match against Burnley on August 14, 2021© Reuters

Regardless of whether Brighton are still well above the bottom three, the criticism will continue to come for Graham Potter as long as his team fail to end their run without a victory.

Eight draws have been recorded from 11 top-flight fixtures, a stretch which includes stalemates against Arsenal and Liverpool, but frustration is understandable when they failed to win several winnable games at the Amex Stadium.

Before the postponement of their trip to Manchester United last weekend, the Seagulls went down 1-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers without having a shot on target during the second half.

Despite the players that were missing for that fixture, that statistic summed up their campaign thus far, and all Potter can do is hope that their luck changes in the final third.

Nine of their 14 goals have come from Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard, who will argue that they require more help from their teammates rather than being held responsible for contributing to the joint-third worst attacking record in the division.

 Brentford manager Thomas Frank after the match, November 28, 2021© Reuters

An argument can be made for Brentford failing to build on their encouraging start to the season with a four-game losing streak occurring between October 16 and November 6.

However, head coach Thomas Frank will instead point to eight points coming from five games, their latest success coming against rivals Watford on December 10.

Sitting nine points ahead of the relegation zone, Frank can only be delighted with his team's efforts so far, and he will be confident of taking advantage of Brighton's lack of belief going forward.

While Wednesday's EFL Cup defeat to Chelsea came as a huge disappointment, the game was Brentford's first in 12 days, shaking off the cobwebs ahead of a further opportunity to extend the gap ahead of the bottom three.

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • D
  • L

Brentford Premier League form:
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • W

Brentford form (all competitions):
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • L



Team News

Brighton & Hove Albion's Neal Maupay celebrates scoring their second goal against Watford in the Premier League on August 21, 2021© Reuters

Potter is boosted by the prospect of five players returning for Brighton, many of whom could be handed an immediate recall.

Shane Duffy, Pascal Gross and Maupay may all feature in the starting lineup, while Adam Webster and Danny Welbeck are expected to be selected among the replacements.

Adam Lallana came through the closing stages of the Wolves game and will also be considered for a role in the first XI.

As for Brentford, Frank will stick with much of the team which started the meeting with Chelsea on Wednesday night.

Ivan Toney should replace Yoane Wissa in attack, while Christian Norgaard and Frank Onyeka are options in midfield.

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Lamptey, Veltman, Duffy, Cucurella; Gross, Bissouma, Moder; March, Maupay, Trossard

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Pinnock, Jansson, Sorensen; Canos, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Henry; Toney, Mbeumo


SM words green background

We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Brentford

Having established a considerable gap between themselves and the bottom three, there is a certain degree of freedom for both teams to push for all three points. Nevertheless, we can only see a low-scoring share of the spoils, a result which would take both teams one small step closer to survival.


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How you voted: Brighton vs Brentford

Brighton & Hove Albion
47.0%
Draw
31.0%
Brentford
22.0%
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Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City21172253134053
2Chelsea21127245162943
3Liverpool20126252183442
4Arsenal2011273325835
5West Ham UnitedWest Ham20104637271034
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1810352320333
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd199463027331
8Wolverhampton WanderersWolves198471414028
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942020027
10Leicester CityLeicester187473133-225
11Crystal Palace205872930-123
12Brentford196582326-323
13Aston Villa1971112530-522
14Southampton194962029-921
15Everton185492332-919
16Leeds UnitedLeeds194782137-1619
17Watford1841132236-1413
18Burnley171881627-1111
19Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1918101942-2311
20Norwich CityNorwich192413842-3410

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