Brighton-Wolverhampton is a match of the twenty-first day of the Premier League and is played on Monday at 8:45 pm: TV, probable formations, predictions.
Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton is one of those teams that have “rested” the most in recent weeks: since last January 2, the Seagulls have faced Championship club Stoke City exclusively as part of the third round of the FA Cup. Estupinan, Joao Pedro (double) and Dunk gave the Italian coach the passage of the round (2-4) and extended the positive series to four games. Before the cup match, in fact, Brighton had drawn against Crystal Palace and West Ham and beaten Tottenham.
Now it’s back to the league, where De Zerbi’s men are only eighth but with one match to make up against their direct competitors. The Seagulls are having a few more difficulties this year than last season: their performance has certainly been affected by their Europa League commitments, constant injuries, but also by a defense that has conceded too many goals (among the top 10, none has conceded more goals than Brighton, 33). Nevertheless, Dunk and his teammates are in the thick of the fight for a place in Europe, and even the fifth-which at the end of the season will almost certainly mean Champions League-is not that far away. In fact, in the event of a victory in the post-match with Wolverhampton, Brighton would fly to 34 points, bypassing Manchester United and moving to within -6 of fifth in the standings, Tottenham.
Wolves on the rise
Wolverhampton can also dream of Europe, revitalized by the care of Gary O’Neil, one of the coaches who is showing off the most in this Premier League.
The Wolves are doing much better than the last two seasons in which they struggled for safety and currently occupy a quiet mid-table position, -3 from Brighton itself. They have not played a league match in 2024, as they have challenged Brentford twice in the last two weeks in the FA Cup: after the draw in the London match, a replay was necessary, which was won 3-2 by the black-and-gold. Recall that Wolverhampton had ended 2023 as best they could and that is with three consecutive wins against Chelsea, Brentford and Everton.
The prediction
Wolverhampton away from home is less treacherous but should still be able to give Brighton a run for their money in a potentially spectacular contest.In fact, goals have never failed to be scored in the last seven games involving Wolves. Seagulls slightly favored within a match in which both are likely to score.
The likely Brighton-Wolverhampton lineups
BRIGHTON (4-3-1-2): Steele; Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Gross, Gilmour, Milner; Buonanotte; Welbeck, Joao Pedro.
WOLVERHAMPTON (3-4-2-1): Jose Sa; Kilman, Dawson, Bueno; Semedo, Lemina, Doyle, Doherty; Sarabia, Neto; Cunha.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
