Introduction Wolverhampton Wanderers make the lengthy trip south to face Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium in Saturday’s Premier League match. Wolves are smarting from a controversial VAR call that went against them in their narrow 2-1 defeat to Manchester City and look to stop their losing streak in its tracks, while Brighton will look to take what was a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle United into higher echelons of the Premier League standings.
Brighton & Hove Albion:
Recent Form and Key Storylines Brighton & Hove Albion won a big 1-0 against Newcastle United last week as Danny Welbeck scored. Their three points, however, became an afterthought in the match as Welbeck went off with what appeared to be a serious injury. Fortunately, the injury is not as bad as thought initially, but he may not play in this one.
Under head coach Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton have been in fine fettle, particularly in October as they staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down to draw with Tottenham Hotspur. The Seagulls currently sit fifth in the Premier League on 15 points from eight matches and could see themselves move into the Champions League spots – at least for now – if they win on Saturday. Hurzeler still remains undefeated at the Amex Stadium, where he has managed four wins and two draws across all competitions.
Brighton have witnessed their large share of goals, especially in their home turf. Brighton’s last three home league matches have produced 14 goals in total: eight for Brighton, six against them. However, they have won only 27% of their Premier League games against teams that began the weekend in the relegation zone.
Wolverhampton Wanderers:
Struggles and VAR Controversies Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil has seen his side relegated to the relegation zone after losing six games in a row in all competitions. Their latest defeat—a 2-1 loss to Manchester City—was very controversial, again involving VAR. City equalized through a magnificent Josko Gvardiol strike after Jorgen Strand Larsen’s early goal, with John Stones scoring deep into stoppage time to seal the win. Wolves were frustrated by a decision to allow the goal and O’Neil intimated the officials were perhaps partisan to teams challenging for the title.
Although Wolves have been struggling for points this season, at least they have found the back of the net. They have scored in nine consecutive matches in all competitions and are on the verge of making history as the first team since Manchester City in 1960 to lose six successive league matches while scoring each time.
Wolves are out for revenge after that EFL Cup defeat to Brighton, which saw them go down 3-2 in a five-goal thriller. Brighton also have the edge in the recent Premier League meetings, unbeaten in the last five against Wolves, winning four of those.
Team News:
Brighton & Wolves Brighton will be sweating on the fitness of a host of key players. While Danny Welbeck is training again, he remains a doubt and Evan Ferguson may therefore be his replacement in the attack. Solly March ought to be doubt for a long time by his knee while Adam Webster may not play because of thigh problems. Other injuries include Joao Pedro-ankle, James Milner-thigh, and Matt O’Riley-ankle. In defense of Welbeck, this makes Kaoru Mitoma’s confirmation in the lineup likely while Simon Adingra and Yankuba Minteh are doubts.
How Wolves are currently struggling with a number of long-term injuries, with the aforementioned list including Sasa Kalajdzic, Enso Gonzalez, Yerson Mosquera, and Boubacar Traore being sidelined with different knee problems. Hwang Hee-chan is also absent with an ankle issue. Keeper Sam Johnstone sat out against Manchester City with an adductor problem, but such was the good form of Jose Sa that he may be retained between the posts even if he does return.
Predicted Lineups
Brighton & Hove Albion possible XI: Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Igor, Kadioglu; Baleba, Hinshelwood; Mitoma, Rutter, Ayari; Ferguson
Wolves possible XI: Sa; Toti, Bueno, Dawson; Semedo, Gomes, Andre, Lemina, Ait-Nouri; Larsen, Cunha
Predicted Brighton are in good shape and have the advantage, playing at home; while Wolves continue to struggle but look promising going forward. Brighton might win it, but Wolves still have the capacities to put a few past them.
Predicted Scoreline: Brighton 2-1 Wolves
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