Premier League: Another London Test for High-Flying Seagulls

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Fulham

The Premier League match between Brighton and Fulham may not particularly sound like one of the top-flight’s big games but, believe me, it is.

These two sides have entertained throughout the campaign and have reaped their rewards, currently sitting sixth and seventh in the league table. They are ahead of the heavyweights Chelsea and Liverpool, among others, and are locked on 35 points, though Robert De Zerbi’s Brighton has two games in hand.

That means fifth-placed Tottenham, four points ahead, are well within the Seagull’s reach but Marco Silva’s Fulham too can gatecrash the top five if they continue to perform at the highest level.

Brighton come into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw with rivals Crystal Palace, while Fulham drew level with a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. 

35 points is often enough to avoid relegation from the top-flight, but that is the last thing on these two clubs’ minds.             

Talking Points

Brighton sharing the goals around 

A match against Crystal Palace is always a tasty affair for the Seagulls and they can feel rightly aggrieved to have been obliged to share the points after registering twice as many shots as their opponents. De Zerbi will task his team to dominate another London club, but this time, pick up the full three.

The loss of Leandro Trossard to Arsenal means Pascal Gross is Brighton’s top scorer with six goals, and when Solly March scored against the Eagles, he made it five for the campaign.

Experienced striker Danny Welbeck is sidelined so the Seagulls will continue to share the goals around and they have the creative talents to do just that. With Pervis Estupinan, Moises Caicedo, and World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister all in fine form, this is a team that can pull any defence apart with their Premier League 2023 highlights.

Brighton have been solid at the back too, winning both of their home games in 2023 with a 4-0 aggregate, including the 3-0 thumping of Liverpool.

And defender Adam Webster has delivered a resolute message to the Cottagers, saying: “We’re in a good position and hopefully we can really achieve something in the second half of the season. To do that we’ve got to keep getting the results at the Amex so it’s a very important game for us.”            

Fulham are serious contenders too  

When the Cottagers met Chelsea on Friday 3^rd February, they matched their illustrious neighbours blow for blow and came away with a 0-0 draw.

But it was no surprise.

With 10 wins already in this campaign, the same number as Champions League chasing Newcastle United, Silva’s side is a force to be reckoned with. They stormed the Championship last season and have brought the momentum with them, and a quick look at the team sheet tells us why.

Former Chelsea star Willian was on target in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, but the man most defences fear is striker Aleksandar Mitrovic with 11 goals.        

Andreas Pereira – with six assists – is having a great campaign, while defencive midfield ace Joao Palhinha has adapted superbly to the physicality of the Premier League and the last line of defence is former Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno. 

This is a group of players which is perfectly at home in the English top-flight and a European place is in their sights.  

History

The head-to-heads have been well-contested. And as we stand, the visitors have the edge with six wins to five over the past 14 games, nudging ahead with a 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage in August when Mitrovic was on the scoresheet.

Lewis Dunk scored an own goal to hand Fulham a 2-0 lead before Alexis Mac Allister halved the deficit.  

Fulham can now complete a first league double over Brighton since 1993 when they were both in the third tier. But the Cottagers have failed to win on their last four visits to the Amex Stadium. 

Both teams come into the game in fine form with two wins and two draws from the last four games, and this one promises to be a fascinating tussle.

Betting Tip

To say this match is sixth vs seventh in the table, the Premier League 2023 betting odds have a lot of faith in the Seagulls, pricing them at 1.63 to win, while the Cottagers are at 4.45 to win with the draw at SBOTOP odds of 3.83.

2-1 to Brighton is the most likely scoreline at odds of 6.37 with a 1-1 draw close behind at 6.56, and I reckon that won’t be far from the mark.  

 

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