Two Premier League teams bidding to bounce back form disappointing results last time out do battle at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Brighton & Hove Albion play host to West Ham United.
The Hammers rescued a point in a 1-1 draw with the Seagulls in the reverse fixture at the London Stadium in December when Mohammed Kudus cancelled out an opener from Mats Wieffer.
Match preview
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Brighton's European qualification hopes are sinking fast as Fabian Hurzeler's side are without a win in five Premier League matches, picking up just one point from a possible 12 available and most recently losing 4-2 at Brentford last weekend.
The Seagulls entered half time level thanks to a late first-half goal from Danny Welbeck, but they were outplayed by the Bees in the second half and conceded three more goals, while the dismissal of Joao Pedro rubbed salt into their wounds and they were condemned to their ninth league loss of the campaign.
Hurzeler has come under growing criticism from some of the club's supporters and chants of "You don't know what you're doing" were aimed at the Brighton boss, who felt that his side "showed a great reaction" to going a man down, but they ultimately "made too many easy mistakes" against Brentford.
A top-eight finish and qualifying for next season's Conference League remains a realistic aim for Brighton, who currently sit 10th in the table and just one point behind eighth-placed Bournemouth with five games left to play, but the Seagulls are nine points behind Aston Villa in seventh, so Europa League qualification now seems a long shot.
Defensive frailties have been a factor behind Brighton's drop-off in form, as they have conceded two or more goals in each of their last five PL games - their longest run since March 2022 (six in a row). However, the Seagulls have only lost one of their 15 top-flight meetings with West Ham (W6 D8), which bodes well ahead of Saturday's contest.
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West Ham are destined for a bottom-half finish in the Premier League and have alternated between defeat and a draw in their last six outings, most recently being held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by basement club Southampton on home soil last weekend.
A 93rd-minute equaliser from Lesley Ugochukwu cancelled out Jarrod Bowen's opener to snatch a point for the already-relegated Saints, sparking Niclas Fullkrug to publicly vent his anger at his own teammates at full time, while Hammers head coach Graham Potter admitted that his side's performance "wasn't good enough".
Sitting 17th in the Premier League table, West Ham will officially avoid relegation if they either pick up at least a point on Saturday, or 18th-placed Ipswich Town - who sit 15 points adrift of safety with only five games remaining - fail to beat Newcastle United.
The Hammers head into Saturday's game having collected five points from their last nine available against Brighton (W1 D2), just one fewer than they picked up in their first 12 such meetings (D6 L6).
West Ham, who beat Brighton 3-1 at the Amex last season, have won four Premier League games on the road this term and have kept a clean sheet on all four occasions - they have not won any of their last 15 PL away matches when conceding at least once (D5 L10).
Team News
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Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke is ruled out as he must adhere to concussion protocols after being stretchered off with a head injury in the defeat at Brentford. He joins Ferdi Kadioglu (toe), James Milner, Adam Webster, Igor Julio (all hamstring), Georginio Rutter (ankle) and Jason Steele (shoulder) in the treatment room, but Tariq Lamptey and Joel Veltman are both "options" to feature in some capacity.
Joao Pedro will serve the first of a three-match suspension following his dismissal last weekend, so Kaoru Mitoma - who recovered from a minor heel injury to score as a substitute last time out - is set to return on the left flank.
Hurzeler has backed Welbeck's criticism of his teammates - claiming they did not play "collectively" following the loss at Brentford - and the striker is expected to lead the line once again, with the 34-year-old bidding to score 10 goals in a single Premier League season for the first time (currently on nine goals).
As for West Ham, Michail Antonio (leg), Crysencio Summerville (thigh), Aaron Cresswell (muscle) and Edson Alvarez (ankle) all remain sidelined with injuries, while Seagulls loanee Evan Ferguson is ineligible to face his parent club.
However, Potter is hoping to welcome Aaron Wan-Bissaka back into his matchday squad after he missed the draw with Southampton due to a toe injury. Vladimir Coufal will continue at right-back, though, if the former is not fit to start.
Tomas Soucek is set to battle with Carlos Soler and James Ward-Prowse for a place in midfield, and Kudus and Lucas Paqueta are both candidates to operate as either a number 10 or out on the left flank, while top scorer Bowen - who scored his 10th goal of the season last time out - is set to continue on the right wing, as Fullkrug leads the line.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Baleba, Estupinan; Hinshelwood, Ayari; Minteh, O'Riley, Mitoma; Welbeck
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles; Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Kudus, Paqueta; Fullkrug
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We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 West Ham United
Neither side are entering this weekend's contest in high spirits and a similarly tight affair to the reverse fixture could be on the cards. However, we are backing European hopefuls Brighton to bounce back, even without the presence of a few key players, against a West Ham outfit playing merely for pride at this stage of the season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
