Brighton-Brentford is a match for the twenty-ninth day of the Premier League and is played on Saturday at 4pm: TV, odds, predictions
If you had told a Brighton and Brentford fan last summer that their respective teams would be fighting for a place in Europe in April, they probably would have laughed in your face. And instead, with two months to go, the Seagulls and Bees are close to a resounding, not to say historic, achievement. The current classic sees them both tied on 42 points, the same as Liverpool and four more than Chelsea.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side can still dream big, however, as they have played two games less and could potentially even move closer to fourth place. The Italian coach – who is being watched with some interest by Tottenham following Conte’s departure – is having a fantastic time of it: before the national team break, his Brighton side snatched a pass to the FA Cup semi-finals with a 5-0 thrashing of lowly Grimsby Town. It was Brighton’s third successive home win, having beaten Crystal Palace 1-0 at the Amex Stadium a few days earlier in the match that marked the end of Patrick Vieira’s tenure with the Eagles. The Seagulls are garnering applause for their sparkling play, perfectly in tune with the ideas of the coach from Brescia, while at the same time demonstrating that they can count on a solid defence, which has remained inviolate in four of the last five matches. Brighton have conceded just one goal at home in 2023.
Two outsiders dreaming of Europe
Brentford, whose aim at the start of the season was to bring home another quiet salvation, are also having a sensational tournament.
Brentford’s Roerslev
The Londoners are doing well beyond expectations, and should qualification for a European cup arrive it would be a sensational achievement. Thomas Frank, however, prefers to keep a low profile, without any flights of fancy. In the last round of the championship Brentford drew 1-1 with Leicester, failing to follow up their away win against Southampton. Away from home the Bees are less effective: away from their home fans they have only achieved three successes, scoring fifteen points in thirteen matches. Against Brighton the Danish coach will not be able to count on the disqualified Baptiste, who was sent off in the match against Leicester. De Zerbi, on the other hand, will have Lamptey back, but could start the veterans from long trips to South America on the bench: we refer to the Ecuadoreans Caicedo and Estupinan and the Argentine Mac Allister.
The Prediction
Brentford’s uninspiring away performance suggests they are with De Zerbi’s men, slight favourites for the three points. But this time the Seagulls may struggle to keep their goal unbroken, considering they will be dealing with one of the league’s top scorers, the relentless Toney. The total goals are likely to be more than two.
Brighton-Brentford
likely line-ups.
- BRIGHTON (4-2-3-1): Steele; Lamptey, Dunk, Colwill, Estupinan; Caicedo, Gross; March, Mac Allister, Mitoma; Ferguson.
- BRENTFORD (4-3-3): Raya; Hickey, Mee, Pinnock, Henry; Jensen, Norgaard, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
