Brighton & Hove Albion will aim to return to winning ways in the Premier League on Monday evening when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Amex Stadium.
The Seagulls last played on January 6 as they progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup courtesy of their 4-2 win at Stoke City. They spent the mini winter break in Dubai and manager Roberto de Zerbi will hope his players have got the much-needed rest to recharge their batteries for the gruelling second half of the campaign.
De Zerbi and Co. were unlucky not to pick up a win in their last Premier League game away at West Ham United but they will certainly want to right the wrongs against Wolves, who overcame Brentford 3-2 after extra time at Molineux in the FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday evening.
Brighton Team News
Igor Julio should be fit for the game against Wolves after missing the FA Cup win over Stoke City last time out due to a slight knock. Tariq Lamptey, Julio Enciso, Ansu Fati, Solly March and Joel Veltman remain out, while Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra are away at the Asian Cup and AFCON respectively.
Predicted Brighton lineup vs Wolves (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
It is difficult to pick who will be in goal against Wolves as De Zerbi has rotated Bart Verbruggen and Jason Steele throughout the season. As Verbruggen started in Brighton’s FA Cup win over Stoke, chances are high of Steele donning the gloves for the visit of Wolves on Monday evening.
Defence
De Zerbi is be expected to stick to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jack Hinshelwood, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk and Pervis Estupinan forming the Brighton backline.
Dunk will partner Van Hecke in central defence in the Brighton lineup, hoping to stop Matheus Cunha from making inroads. Hinshelwood and Estupinan will offer energy, width and flair from the right-back and left-back positions, respectively.
Midfield
Pascal Gros and Billy Gilmour should hold the keys to the Brighton midfield. They will look to dominate possession, break up the opposition’s attacks and create openings in the final third for the forwards.
Adam Lallana is likely to act as the creative glue between the midfield and attack. The ex-England international will look to occupy pockets of space and use his vision to unlock the Wolves defence.
Carlos Baleba and Mahmoud Dahoud will be vying to make an impact off the bench.
Attack
Facundo Buonanotte will occupy the right flank in the Brighton lineup, with Danny Welbeck starting up front. Joao Pedro, Brighton’s top scorer this season, should start on the left flank and will hope to make the difference on the night.
In Evan Ferguson, De Zerbi will have a top striker to bring off the bench when required. Jakub Moder and James Milner could also be involved in the second half of the game against Wolves.