Brighton & Hove Albion will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League on Friday evening when they travel to Gtech Community Stadium to face Brentford.
The Seagulls are yet to win under new manager Roberto de Zerbi, drawing and losing a game apiece so far. After holding Liverpool to an entertaining 3-3 draw at Anfield, De Zerbi was unable to make a winning start to life at the Amex Stadium as his team were edged 1-0 by Tottenham last weekend.
The defeat to Spurs has subsequently seen the Italian tactician’s Brighton side slip out of the top four, although they can climb back into the Champions League spots with a win over Thomas Frank’s Brentford.
Brighton Team News
Brighton announced on Monday that midfielder Enock Mwepu has been forced to retire from football at 24 after being diagnosed with a hereditary heart condition.
Jakub Moder is a long-term absentee with a knee problem, but other than that, De Zerbi has a fully-fit squad at his disposal against Brentford.
Predicted Brighton Lineup vs Brentford (3-4-2-1)
Goalkeeper
Roberto de Zerbi will stick to his 3-4-2-1 system, with Robert Sanchez patrolling the Brighton goal. The Spaniard will be raring to shut up shop as quickly as possible at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Defence
We can expect to see the trio of Joel Veltman, Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster form the backline in the Brighton lineup. Excellent on the ball and physically strong, the trio will look to hold a high line and not allow any space for the Brentford attackers to exploit.
If the Seagulls are to enhance their chances of keeping a clean sheet, they must keep Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo at bay.
Midfield
Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo will be a part of the Brighton lineup in the engine room, hoping to dominate the battles in the middle of the park and distribute the ball efficiently to their teammates.
Solly March and Pervis Estupinan are likely to operate from the wing-back positions, and the duo must keep a solid defensive shape at the back and get forward to stretch the opposition when given opportunities.
Billy Gilmour, Adam Lallana and Tariq Lamptey will offer cover in midfield positions.
Attack
Despite failing to open his account in eight appearances this term, Danny Welbeck will be trusted again to spearhead the Brighton lineup. With his runs in behind and aerial ability, Welbeck could prove to be a real handful for the Brentford defenders.
Leandro Trossard has been Brighton’s best player this season, and his creativity, movement and vision might be key to unlocking the Brentford door. Pascal Gross will complete the team’s attack as he hopes to combine well with Trossard and Welbeck in the final third and cause problems for the home side.
Kaoru Mitoma will again have to be content with a role on the bench. The Japanese winger could be called into the game in the second half if required.
