After more than a month without competitive action, Brighton & Hove Albion return to the fray on Wednesday, when they visit Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup.
While Brighton will resume their Premier League campaign inside the top half of the table, their League One hosts have not only lost three straight games but also exited two other cup competitions during the past month.
Match preview
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Bringing a definitive end to their World Cup break, Brighton arrive in London this week with the aim of taking one step closer to a first-ever piece of major silverware.
Several years of improvement have seen the Seagulls firmly established as Premier League regulars, so finally lifting an elusive trophy is surely the next step for the South Coast side.
Before the remarkable events of Qatar 2022 intervened, Brighton slipped to a 2-1 home loss against Aston Villa - also their opponents in a 2-2 friendly draw earlier this month. That defeat slightly dampened spirits after beating Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers in their two previous league games.
In addition, Roberto De Zerbi's men had toppled Premier League leaders Arsenal in the EFL Cup third round, with Tariq Lamptey scoring the final goal in an impressive 3-1 win at the Emirates.
Under former manager Graham Potter, an unfamiliar XI saw off second-round opponents Forest Green Rovers 3-0 at the start of the season, all of which has led to the same stage where Brighton have been eliminated in each of the past two years - to Manchester United and Leicester City respectively.
De Zerbi's side occupy seventh place ahead of their impending top-flight return and are set to travel along the South Coast to face struggling Southampton on Boxing Day. First, though, they will be keen to avoid an upset at The Valley and reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
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Dreams of giant-killing have been far from the thoughts of Charlton's ailing squad, which has gone six games without a win since progressing past Stevenage in the previous round.
Now under the guidance of caretaker manager Anthony Hayes, ahead of new boss Dean Holden's dugout debut at the weekend, the Addicks have also suffered three losses on the bounce following another League One reverse last Saturday, in which they let a lead slip to go down 2-1 to Bristol Rovers at The Valley.
Having already gone close on several occasions, Charlton were good value for their 20th-minute lead, taken when Ryan Inniss headed home Scott Fraser's corner. However, midway through the second half a double from Rovers substitute John Marquis consigned them to defeat.
Owner Thomas Sandgaard recently claimed that former coach Ben Garner had lost authority among his players, which led to the ex-Swindon boss being dismissed at the start of December.
The final straw which broke the camel's back came at fourth-tier Stockport County, in an FA Cup second round replay which ended in a humbling 3-1 defeat despite going ahead early on; Charlton had already been knocked out of the EFL Trophy by Plymouth Argyle.
Familiar defensive frailties were to blame on both occasions, and in his final game at the helm, Hayes will now have his hands full to organise an XI able to keep Brighton at bay.
Team News
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While World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister will understandably be absent from proceedings on Wednesday, several clubmates who fared rather less better in Qatar could be involved for Brighton at The Valley.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, Tariq Lamptey, Leandro Trossard, Kaoru Mitoma and Ecuadorian trio Jeremy Sarmiento, Moises Caicedo and Pervis Estupinan are therefore all in contention.
Jakub Moder, though, remains sidelined by a knee injury which will potentially keep him out of Roberto De Zerbi's plans until February, while Adam Webster and Danny Welbeck both miss out due to minor muscular problems.
Meanwhile, Charlton are welcoming Terell Thomas and Miles Leaburn back from their respective ankle injuries, but goalkeeper Joe Wollacott is still out with the broken finger that denied him selection for Ghana's World Cup squad.
Mandela Egbo (quad) and Eoghan O'Connell (knee) are both unavailable too; reducing the options of caretaker coach Anthony Hayes. However, Craig MacGillivray may make it back from illness in time.
Having dominated the opening half of their defeat to Bristol Rovers, Scott Fraser and Jack Payne may be retained in midfield, while Leaburn and Chuks Aneke - both substitutes on Saturday - hope to be promoted to the hosts' forward line.
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
MacGillivray; Clare, Lavelle, Iniss, Sessegnon; Dobson, Payne, Fraser; Kirk, Aneke, Rak-Sakyi
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Steele; Lamptey, Dunk, Colwill, Estupinian; Caicedo, Gilmour; Undav, Trossard, Mitoma; Enciso
We say: Charlton Athletic 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton may be a little rusty, having only just reassembled their full squad, but an abundance of top-tier quality is available to ambitious boss De Zerbi. Eager to continue making his mark at the South Coast club, the highly-regarded Italian will surely take Wednesday's tie seriously, which bodes ill for a Charlton side in some disarray.
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Jonathan O'Shea
