Brighton will cross swords with West Ham at the Amex Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
Both teams enter the fixture looking to extend their unbeaten starts in the new Premier League season. Brighton have smashed Luton Town and Wolves in their opening fixtures, leaving them flying high at the top of the standings.
The table-topping Seagulls will face a West Ham side fresh from the 3-1 home victory over Chelsea. Without further ado, let us take a look at the key battle that could define the outcome of the exciting fixture on the south coast.
#Kaoru Mitoma vs Vladimir Coufal
Kaoru Mitoma has gone from an unknown quantity to one of the best wingers in the Premier League, highlighting the meteoric rise he has enjoyed in a year. He has started the new season with a bang, bagging a goal and two assists in two games.
The Japanese winger was absolutely unplayable last weekend against Wolves, dribbling half the length of the pitch and beating four defenders in the process before scoring a wonder goal. Brimming with confidence, Mitoma will undoubtedly be among the key threats to West Ham.
Vladimir Coufal could well be up against Mitoma at the Amex Stadium. The Czech Republic international enjoyed a solid outing against Chelsea last weekend, helping West Ham to a famous 3-1 win at home. He will be hoping to use his experience and defensive nous to keep an in-form Mitoma quiet.
#Konstantinos Mavropanos vs Danny Welbeck
Nayef Aguerd’s dismissal for two bookable offences against Chelsea should open the door for new West Ham signing Konstantinos Mavropanos to make his debut against Brighton.
Signed on a £19m deal from Stuttgart, Mavropanos will be raring to hit the ground running at West Ham and become a first-team regular at the back, something he failed to become at Arsenal. Strong, athletic and intimidating, the Greek centre-half will face a tricky challenge against Brighton striker Danny Welbeck.
Welbeck has led the attack very well for Brighton in the opening two games, although he is yet to open his account for the new season. The ex-England international has never been a prolific goal-getter in his career but it is his silky touches, subtle movements and clever link-up plays that make him so attractive to have in the squad.
A battle between Mavropanos and Welbeck will be key to deciding which of these teams come out of the Amex Stadium happy.
#Michail Antonio vs Brighton centre-backs
Michail Antonio proved a real handful for the Chelsea defenders whilst scoring a brilliant goal in West Ham’s 3-1 win at the London Stadium. With Gianluca Scamacca having left for Atalanta, David Moyes has put faith in Antonio to lead West Ham’s attack in the opening two fixtures and he hasn’t let down his manager.
The Jamaican international will be keen to add to his tally and help the Hammers beat Brighton. With his pace and physicality, Antonio will look to occupy the Brighton defenders and give them more of a challenge than Fabio Silva did at Molineux.
Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster did well to keep Fabio Silva and his fellow Wolves attackers quiet, but they will have to be on their toes throughout the game on Saturday to stop Antonio from scoring.
