Brighton & Hove Albion will look to continue their push for European football when they welcome Bournemouth to the Amex Stadium. Bournemouth on the other hand travel to the south coast eager to put their 1-0 defeat to Wolves behind them which halted a very good run of form.
The Seagulls were in great form in their 4-0 victory over Southampton last weekend bouncing back impressively from their heavy defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier this month. Fabian Hürzeler’s side have improved defensively conceding just once in their last three matches while scoring nine goals. With only four points separating them from fourth placed Manchester City, Brighton remain firmly in contention for a European spot. They will now be hoping for a repeat of their 2-1 win over Bournemouth earlier in the season despite playing with 10 men for over half an hour. Their recent form has been strong with six wins in their last eight games and four clean sheets during that stretch.
Andoni Iraola’s side were hindered by an early red card in their game against Wolves but have otherwise been in excellent form winning 10 of their last 16 matches across all competitions. Despite the setback the Cherries remain one of the Premier League’s most dynamic attacking sides with only Chelsea and Liverpool creating more expected goals this season. Their defensive improvements have also been notable with only Arsenal and Liverpool conceding fewer goals per match. Bournemouth have also been formidable on the road going unbeaten in their last eight away fixtures with six victories. With European football within reach Iraola’s men will be determined to bounce back at the Amex.
Brighton remain without defenders Lewis Dunk and Igor while goalkeeper Jason Steele also sidelined. Fullback Ferdi Kadioglu is still recovering from a toe injury alongside James Milner who is also unavailable so Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari are likely to retain their places after strong performances against Southampton.
Bournemouth will be without suspended centerback Illia Zabarnyi while Marcos Senesi, Adam Smith and Julian Araujo are out injured alongside striker Enes Ünal who is ruled out for the season.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible lineup: Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Webster, Van Hecke, Estupiñán; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Pedro
Bournemouth possible lineup: Arrizabalaga; Hill, Cook, Huijsen, Kerkez; Adams, Christie; Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo; Ouattara
BRIGHTON VS BOURNEMOUTH
1.92
TOTAL, OVER 3
