After two Premier League matchdays, Brighton lead the Premier League, with a perfect six points from six and a goal difference of +6.
Can the Seagulls sustain their form this weekend against last season’s Conference League winners, West Ham?
Dinos' first day at Rush Green ✅ pic.twitter.com/ACI6SG8Jcn— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 23, 2023
Dinos' first day at Rush Green ✅ pic.twitter.com/ACI6SG8Jcn
The Hammers are fresh off a brilliant home 2-1 win over Chelsea. West Ham may have sold Declan Rice to Arsenal in the offseason, but so far, they have played well.
The team took four points from the opening two games. The win over Chelsea was preceded by a 1-1 draw away to Bournemouth.
Brighton’s wins came against Luton Town 4-1 and Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1.
Robert De Zerbi’s team have had a soft start to the Premier League season and will face much tougher opponents in the weeks ahead.
Brighton went unbeaten in their last 12 games against West Ham in all competitions.
The last six games between these clubs saw Brighton win three and draw three times.
Last season, the Seagulls did the league double over West Ham, winning 2-0 in London and 4-0 at the Amex Stadium.
West Ham conceded at least 2.0 goals to Brighton in the teams’ last three encounters in all competitions.
Brighton were fantastic in front of goal in their last eight fixtures. Seven of those matches saw more than 2.5 goals scored.
Solly March leads Brighton in goals with three. The rest of the team’s scoring has been shared by five players.
David Moyes will breathe a sigh of relief this week. Manchester City’s interest in Lucas Paqueta ended.
However, Paqueta faces an inquest into violating Premier League rules, which may have stopped Man City from pursuing him further.
De Zerbi will be without Jakub Moder due to a serious knee injury. There is no timeline for his return. Forward Julio Enciso is also ruled out following a knee injury.
With Enciso out of action, De Zerbi may turn to Adam Lallana or Evan Ferguson to play in the No 10 role behind striker Danny Welbeck.
Moyes will be without defender Nayef Aguerd due to a suspension. The defender was sent off for two yellow cards against Chelsea.
West Ham’s comeback against city rivals was all the more remarkable due to Aguerd’s sending-off. Aguerd had scored earlier in the game versus the Blues.
New West Ham transfer signing Konstantinos Mavropanos could fill in for Aguerd. He joined from Stuttgart for €20 million this week.
Brighton dominated West Ham in their last 12 matches. The Seagulls should post a third win of the season, beating West Ham 2-1 at the Amex.