Brighton & Hove Albion will aim to return to winning ways when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Amex Stadium for Wednesday's Premier League battle.
The Seagulls have had a weekend off to prepare for this battle, while Bruno Lage's side went down 1-0 to Manchester City last time out.
Match preview
With Tottenham Hotspur dealing with a catastrophic COVID-19 outbreak, Brighton have now fallen a game behind their rivals due to the postponement of their proposed clash with the Lilywhites, with their winless run being extended in the process.
The Seagulls' most recent encounter saw them play out a 1-1 draw with Southampton, as Neal Maupay cancelled out Armando Broja's strike right at the death for a third consecutive stalemate under Graham Potter, who is not popular with the entire Brighton fanbase at present.
Brighton have now dropped to 11th in the table as they witnessed their top-flight counterparts take to the field over the weekend, but they only sit two points behind eighth-placed Leicester City having played one game fewer.
However, it is now 10 Premier League games without a win for the Seagulls, whose bright start to the campaign has now been firmly consigned to history, and three of their last four encounters at the Amex Stadium have ended in a share of the spoils.
After pointing towards his armpit to no avail, Joao Moutinho was ultimately forced to watch Raheem Sterling settle the contest in Manchester City's favour at the Etihad Stadium following the veteran midfielder's handball inside the area.
Any hopes of Bruno Lage's side ending their barren run without a goal were dashed when Raul Jimenez foolishly picked up two yellow cards in quick succession, and there was no way back for the 10 men of Wolves at the home of the champions.
Having now failed to win and score in four in the Premier League, Lage's men have slipped to ninth in the table - four points off the top seven having played two more games than Spurs - and their task to return to continental competition has just been made that little bit more difficult.
Furthermore, the Molineux outfit have not scored a Premier League goal away from home since October 23, and their chances of ending that barren streak on the road are not exactly high with no Jimenez leading the line this week.
A 2-1 win for Wolves in May marked their first Premier League victory over Brighton since their return to the big time, with four of the last five encounters between the two sides finishing level, including a 3-3 thriller at the Amex back in January.
- D
- D
- L
- D
- D
- D
- L
- W
- D
- D
- L
- L
Team News
Brighton have lost Shane Duffy to a one-game ban ahead of this encounter, which is hardly ideal with Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster and Joel Veltman all injury concerns.
Veltman came off against Southampton through injury, and Potter will be desperate to have him available here, but Steven Alzate, Danny Welbeck, and Jeremy Sarmiento are all absent, while Adam Lallana is a doubt.
Leandro Trossard came off with an elbow problem in the Southampton draw - although he is reported to be fine - so a spot may open up for Alexis Mac Allister or Aaron Connolly to join last-minute hero Maupay in the final third.
Potter has also revealed that the Seagulls have been hit by COVID-19 recently, with a number of unnamed players also set to miss the contest through illness.
As for Wolves, Jimenez will also sit this one out through suspension, so Hwang Hee-chan ought to return to the first XI to spearhead the charge.
Conor Coady and Rayan Ait-Nouri were both fit enough to play the full 90 at the Etihad, but Yerson Mosquera, Jonny and Pedro Neto are all still sidelined for the visitors.
It would not be a surprise to see Daniel Podence or Francisco Trincao also called into action this week, with Moutinho potentially being sacrificed if his 35-year-old legs are in need of a rest.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Lamptey, Roberts, Burn, Cucurella; Bissouma, Mwepu; Gross, Mac Allister, March; Maupay
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Kilman, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Neves, Dendoncker, Ait-Nouri; Traore, Hwang, Podence
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
For all of their attacking woes in recent weeks, Wolves have not been broken down easily, and a depleted Brighton XI will certainly struggle to gain the upper hand in this fixture.
Lage will sense an opportunity for a Jimenez-less Wolves to end their barren run in front of goal amid their hosts' plethora of defensive absentees, and we expect a refreshed Wolves team to pull through.
body check tags ::
Previews by email
