Two teams fighting for survival in the Premier League will face off at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday evening as Brighton & Hove Albion lock horns with Fulham.
The hosts finally managed to secure a long-awaited three points in the Premier League by beating Leeds United 1-0 on January 16, whereas Fulham suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Manchester United last time out.
Match preview
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Prior to taking on Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds at Elland Road, Brighton had tried and failed to win a Premier League game in nine attempts since beating Aston Villa on November 21.
However, Graham Potter's men ensured that their winless run did not reach double figures as they battled their way to a 1-0 triumph over the Whites, with Neal Maupay tapping home from Alexis Mac Allister's pass as Brighton won for just the third time in the league this season.
The Seagulls have now opened up a five-point gap between themselves and the dotted line with that crucial triumph, although their midweek opponents Fulham do have a game in hand and will be determined to close the gap on Wednesday evening.
Brighton followed up their win over Leeds with another narrow triumph over Blackpool in the FA Cup, with that 2-1 victory representing the first time since September that the Seagulls have won twice in a row across all competitions, and they will now face Leicester City in the fifth round during a daunting run of February fixtures.
Potter's men must take on Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Leicester and Aston Villa in the coming weeks, so a victory over fellow relegation rivals Fulham will be of paramount importance to Brighton in their bid to avoid the drop.
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Scott Parker has insisted that Fulham are no longer the Premier League's "laughing stock", but there was no joy to be had for the Cottagers against Man United last week.
Another stunning strike from Paul Pogba sealed the win for the league leaders, who had initially fallen behind through Ademola Lookman's goal before Edinson Cavani levelled proceedings, and that defeat to Man United extended Fulham's winless league run to eight matches.
Only three of those games have ended in defeat, but multiple failures to take home all three points leaves the Cottagers firmly in the bottom three ahead of this game, and Parker's men cannot clamber out of the drop zone even if they do manage to win this week.
Fulham have recorded just one defeat from their last four top-flight matches on the road and held Tottenham to a draw earlier this month, so the fighting spirit is there, but they did not show it in their dismal 3-0 FA cup defeat to Burnley at the weekend.
Brighton and Fulham played out a drab goalless stalemate in their first meeting of the season last month, but the last time that the visitors recorded two 0-0 draws against an opponent in a top-flight season was in the 2001-02 campaign with Leeds.
Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form: DDLDLW
Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions): LDWLWW
Fulham Premier League form: DDDDLL
Fulham form (all competitions): DWDLLL
Team News
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Brighton's medical room is still well-occupied with as many as eight players sidelined, although Aaron Connolly and Adam Lallana are thought to have outside chances of returning here.
The game will come too soon for the likes of Danny Welbeck, Tariq Lamptey, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Florin Andone, but several changes from the FA Cup win over Blackpool are expected regardless.
Robert Sanchez should return in goal after Mat Ryan joined Arsenal on loan, while Maupay, Ben White and Leandro Trossard are all primed to return to the starting XI.
Fulham's Antonee Robinson serves the final game of his ban after being sent off against Chelsea, while the injured Tom Cairney and Terence Kongolo complete a trio of absentees for the visitors.
Aleksandar Mitrovic is back and raring to go after a troublesome few weeks, but having played the full 90 against Burnley, Parker may opt against risking him again so soon after his return.
Alphonse Areola, Kenny Tete and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all set to come back in after being named amongst the substitutes in the cup.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Webster, Dunk, Burn; Veltman, White, Bissouma, March; Mac Allister, Trossard; Maupay
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Areola; Aina, Adarabioyo, Andersen; Tete, Reed, Anguissa, Bryan; Cavaleiro, Loftus-Cheek; Lookman
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Fulham
Brighton are the only team in the Premier League yet to win on home soil this season, and we do not expect that to change against a more resolute Fulham outfit. The Cottagers were simply swept aside by Burnley in the FA Cup but will revert to full-strength for this game, as will Brighton, so a low-scoring draw could be on the cards at the Amex Stadium.
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