After crashing out of the FA Cup in midweek, Brighton & Hove Albion will look to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they face a resurgent Fulham side at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams meet for the first time since the end of October when they played out a 1-1 draw at the American Express Stadium.
Match preview
© Reuters
Fulham ended their miserable 11-game winless away run in the Premier League in surprising yet impressive fashion as they beat Manchester United 2-1 last weekend – their first triumph at Old Trafford since 2003.
It was a day to remember for Nigerian duo Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi, who were both on the scoresheet in the second half; the former of whom had his first Fulham goal cancelled out by Harry Maguire in the 89th minute, but Iwobi snatched maximum points for the Cottagers with a dramatic 97th-minute winner.
Marco Silva lauded his side's "strong mentality" in a "well-deserved" victory at Old Trafford, but they still remain in 12th place in the Premier League table, five points behind Newcastle United in 10th and six adrift of ninth-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, who they will face in a weeks' time.
Fulham, who are looking to win back-to-back league matches for just the second time this season, will welcome a return to Craven Cottage where they have accumulated 22 of their 32 points in the top flight this term, winning seven games out of 13 in the process.
The Cottagers can be confident of claiming a positive result on Saturday as they have never lost a Premier League game against Brighton in seven meetings, winning three times and drawing four – only against Norwich City have they played more matches against an opponent without losing.
© Reuters
Brighton were unable to progress to their second successive FA Cup quarter-final after they suffered a narrow 1-0 away defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fifth round on Wednesday night.
Despite boasting 72% possession, the Seagulls lacked a cutting edge in the final third as they fired only two of their 18 shots on target, and the closely-fought contest was ultimately settled by Mario Lemina's close-range strike after just 79 seconds.
Roberto De Zerbi was left to rue the plethora of missed opportunities at Molineux, but the Italian boss has still taken plenty of positives from the performance of his youthful Brighton side as the club continues to battle with a long injury list.
The Seagulls are sure to have one eye on their Europa League last-16 tie with Roma later this month, but they must first shift their focus to an important trip to Fulham as they endeavour to consolidate their place in the top seven and potentially edge closer to sixth-placed Man United, who face rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
Brighton's away form in London leaves a little to be desired as they have failed to win any of their five matches in the capital this season, while they have also lost two of their last there Premier League visits to Craven Cottage, having previously won three away games in a row at Fulham while competing in the Championship between 2014 and 2016.
Team News
© Reuters
Fulham striker Raul Jimenez remains sidelined with a thigh problem, while Willian (thigh) and Harrison Reed (head) will be assessed ahead of kickoff – the latter of whom sustained his injury in the second half against Man United.
Joao Palhinha – who scored against Brighton earlier this season – will serve the second and final match of a two-game suspension, but Sasa Lukic impressed as his replacement last weekend and will likely keep his spot; Tom Cairney, meanwhile, could replace Reed if he is not deemed fit to start.
Silva could stick with the same back four and attacking quartet that began against Man United, although the likes of Tim Ream, Adama Traore and Armando Broja will all be pushing to start.
As for Brighton, Kaoru Mitoma (back,) Solly March (knee), Jack Hinshelwood (foot), Joao Pedro and James Milner (both thigh) all remain sidelined with injuries, although the latter two are targeting a return later this month.
Billy Gilmour is also unavailable as he will serve the second of his three-match suspension this weekend, but De Zerbi has confirmed that Tariq Lamptey (unspecified), Joel Veltman (knee) and Evan Ferguson (ankle) will all be back in contention to face Fulham.
January signing Valentin Barco was handed his Brighton debut as a second-half substitute in midweek and the Argentine teenager is in contention to play as either a left-back or left-winger on Saturday, while Bart Verbruggen, Adam Webster, Carlos Baleba, Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck will all be pushing to start after beginning on the bench last time out.
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Castagne, Tosin, Bassey, Robinson; Reed, Lukic; Wilson, Pereira, Iwobi; Muniz
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Gross, Baleba; Adingra, Lallana, Buonanotte; Welbeck
We say: Fulham 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
There has been little to separate these two teams in recent years and another closely-contested encounter could be on the cards this weekend, although Fulham boast the psychological edge considering their unbeaten Premier League record over Brighton.
Neither side will be at full strength, but we believe that the Cottagers may just do enough to follow up their impressive with at Man United with another triumph over a Seagulls outfit who have won just two of their last 11 away league matches.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
