Brighton & Hove Albion will aim to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League on Wednesday evening when they host Brentford at the Amex Stadium.
The Seagulls’ seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions ended at the hands of Chelsea on Sunday, with the 10-man Blues winning the Premier League contest 3-2 at Stamford Bridge. However, returning to home turf should give Roberto de Zerbi’s side comfort where they are on a five-game unbeaten run.
The Italian tactician would have been disappointed to come away from Chelsea without a point. He will expect a rousing response from his boys against Brentford, who beat Luton Town 3-1 at home.
Brighton Team News
Brighton duo Lewis Dunk and Mahmoud Dahoud will serve the final game of their respective two and three-match suspensions against Brentford, while Danny Welbeck (muscle), Ansu Fati, Tariq Lamptey, Pervis Estupinan (all thigh), Solly March (knee) and Julio Enciso (knee) remain on the treatment table.
Wednesday’s game will likely come too soon for Adam Webster, who missed out on the win over Luton Town with a knock.
Predicted Brighton lineup vs Brentford (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Bart Verbruggen will operate in between the sticks, with Brighton lining up in a 4-2-3-1 setup in front of him.
Defence
With both Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster out, Igor Julio and Jan Paul van Hecke are set to continue in central defence. The duo must stay disciplined and deal with Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo well.
Joel Veltman should continue at right-back, but the experienced James Milner could replace Jack Hinshelwood at left-back. Other than helping in build-up play, Veltman and Milner will need to be on their toes to keep Brentford’s wing-backs quiet.
Midfield
Pascal Gros could be recalled into the starting XI after he came on as a substitute against Chelsea over the weekend. He might replace Carlos Baleba and form the double pivot with Billy Gilmour in the middle of the park.
Joao Pedro, who scored his 10th goal of the season against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, should act as the creative glue between the midfield and attack. Operating from the No.10 role, the Brazilian’s movement and flair could be key in unlocking the well-drilled Brentford defence.
Attack
Kaoru Mitoma is pushing to start in midweek after starting the game at Stamford Bridge on the bench. The Japanese might start on the left flank, while in-form Simon Adingra moves to the opposite wing.
The importance of Mitoma and Adingra to this Brighton side cannot be understated, and the duo must come up with the required goods in midweek. They will start in support of Brighton striker, Evan Ferguson, who will be looking to add to his six-goal tally this season.
