Premier League: Cottagers Plan to Revive Their Campaign Against Wingless Seagulls

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Fulham

Two teams that are in dire need of a spark are set to go head-to-head this Sunday as Brighton host Fulham at the AMEX Stadium.

Brighton look like the better team on paper given their advantage over Fulham in the Premier League standings since they’re in seventh place, while their visitors are 13^th.

However, like the Cottagers, the Seagulls have lost twice in their last three games. And the gap between them can be cut down, even if the pre-game SBOTOP betting odds favour the hosts for this contest.

Which team do you think will come out on top this weekend? Without further ado, here’s a preview of what should be yet another fun matchup.

Talking Points

Brighton can’t shut anyone down

The Seagulls have actually both scored and conceded goals in all nine of their Premier League matches this season. If that happens again on Sunday, they will become the first top-flight club to do so in all of their first 10 games of a season since Tottenham last did it in 1988-89.

When the Spurs last did it a few decades ago, they finished sixth in the Premier League table, which is an achievable target for Brighton.

However, they know within themselves that it’s not a sustainable formula for success, especially if they’re striving for bigger heights, both in Europe and in England.

In their past four games, which were either draws or losses, Brighton have conceded a whopping 12 goals across all competitions. And their worst loss was a 6-1 result against Aston Villa not too long ago.

Brighton’s depth is compromised, which is the main culprit for their porous defence, with centre-back Lewis Dunk and goalkeeper Jason Steele being their only consistent defenders so far this term.

Moreover, with Pervis Estupinan and Tariq Lamptey sidelined, Brighton don’t have much in the full-back position. Against Manchester City, right winger Solly March was deployed at left-back, a weird position for him, while 37-year-old James Milner played at right-back.

With fixtures coming in thick and fast for Brighton, Roberto De Zerbi must find a way to stem the tide.

Decordova-Reid becoming invaluable for Fulham

Following the departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic this summer, Fulham have had a difficult time scoring goals.

As of this writing, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Carlos Vinicius are the team’s leading scorers with two each, modest totals that need to improve as the season goes on.

Decordova-Reid in particular has provided a glimmer of hope for the Cottagers’ lacklustre attack with his quality and willingness to put in the dirty work. He is versatile enough to play various positions on the pitch, whether as a striker, winger (on both sides), the No. 10, or even as a wing-back when needed.

Finding a new striker is Fulham’s utmost priority in the January transfer window, especially with summer signing Raul Jimenez not panning out thus far.

In the meantime, Decordova-Reid, along with Carlos Vinicius and Willian, will have to continue to hold it down.

History

Fulham have never lost to Brighton here in the Premier League thus far (W3, D3), and they had won five in a row against them in the Championship between 2014 and 2017 before obtaining their top-flight status.

Last season, the Cottagers scored a league double over the Seagulls, beating them via an aggregate tally of 3-1. Should they win again on Sunday, Fulham will win three consecutive league matches against Brighton for the first time since 1986.

Marco Silva has won three Premier League matches against Brighton, defeating a different manager each time (Chris Hughton, Graham Potter, and Roberto De Zerbi).

On the other hand, Brighton are winless in their last three Premier League matches (D1, L2), which is their longest winless run since winning none of their first five matches under Roberto De Zerbi in October 2022.

Betting Tip

As mentioned earlier, the Premier League 2023 odds have Brighton as the favourites to win at home on Sunday. They’re priced at 1.49 to win, whereas Fulham are the underdogs at 5.50, and a draw is installed at 3.95 in the 1X2 market.

We’d like to believe that Fulham are going to try and capitalise on Brighton’s lacklustre form lately. After all, the Cottagers have had the Seagulls’ number lately, similar to Crystal Palace.

Counting out either side is not exactly a great idea. However, we’re sure that we’re going to see several entries in the Premier League 2023 highlights reel from this match, making Total Goals 2-3 at 2.15 your best bet.

 

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