Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford are locked on 42 points in the Premier League table ahead of their crucial clash at the Amex on Saturday afternoon.
Seventh-placed Brighton lead eighth-placed Brentford on goal difference, while the Seagulls also have two games in hand on the Bees.
Building up to Brentford! 🔋⚡️ pic.twitter.com/HXujDwRDu6— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) March 29, 2023
Building up to Brentford! 🔋⚡️ pic.twitter.com/HXujDwRDu6
With both sides battling for European football, Saturday’s showdown is destined to be an intriguing encounter. But who will come out on top?
Brighton are currently enjoying a five-game unbeaten run across all competitions, having picked up four wins and one draw since their last loss.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Seagulls have lost just one of their previous 13 outings, securing nine victories and three draws in the process.
It is also worth noting that Brighton are the Premier League’s fifth-highest scorers, having netted 46 goals in 25 outings this term (1.84 goals per game).
Roberto De Zerbi’s men have been strong at the opposite end of the pitch, too, keeping three consecutive clean sheets on home soil.
As for Brentford, they have only lost one of their previous 15 Premier League matches, recording seven wins and seven draws along the way.
The Bees enjoyed a hugely impressive 12-game unbeaten run in the league between late October and early March before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Everton.
Not only have Thomas Frank’s side scored three goals fewer than Brighton this season, but they have also conceded three goals more.
That said, Brentford will fancy their chances of getting something from Saturday’s clash, having lost just one of their last seven away league games.
Head-to-head: Brighton have won two of the three Premier League meetings between them and Brentford, although the Bees won this season’s reverse fixture 2-0.
Since 2001, both sides have claimed eight victories in this fixture across all competitions, playing out four draws along the way.
Team news: Brighton are currently without the injured duo of Adam Lallana and Jakub Moder, while Tariq Lamptey is a doubt for this weekend.
Keane Lewis-Potter, Shandon Baptiste, Kristoffer Ajer and Vitaly Janelt are all unavailable for Brentford, while Mathias Jensen and Mads Roerslev are doubts.
With so much at stake on Saturday, Brighton and Brentford are expected to play out a close-fought battle at the Amex.
Accordingly, Forebet predicts that Brighton and Brentford will dish up a low-scoring draw, with both teams netting under 1.5 goals.