Following contrasting results in their recent FA Cup clashes, Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United return to Premier League duties with Saturday's clash at the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls advanced to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup courtesy of a 1-0 win over Stoke City in midweek, while the Hammers were seen off 3-1 by Manchester United.

Match preview

Enjoying a rare 10-day break in between matches due to last weekend's EFL Cup final, a much-changed Brighton side literally had to do it on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke in the fifth round of the FA Cup, but Roberto De Zerbi's men did not become the latest victims of that humorous hoodoo.

Talented teenage striker Evan Ferguson struck the only goal of the game on the half-hour mark for Brighton, who have been rewarded with a quarter-final tie versus League Two giant killers Grimsby Town, and a return to winning ways in the Premier League is next on the Seagulls' agenda.

Having tried and failed numerous times to break down Fulham's impenetrable defence on February 18, Brighton were hit with a Manor Solomon sucker-punch in a 1-0 defeat in front of their own fans, leaving them eighth in the table and four points behind the Cottagers, albeit with three games in hand.

The European dream may very well still become a reality for Brighton, but winning just one of their last four Premier League games has dampened the spirits somewhat, and even then they only just eked out a 1-0 victory over a struggling Bournemouth crop.

Furthermore, Brighton have only suffered consecutive home defeats in the Premier League once this season, but they were both against London opposition in Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford, and West Ham will need no second invitation to prolong their hosts' capital chagrin.

A return to the Old Trafford turf very nearly ended with David Moyes denying his old club the opportunity to clinch an FA Cup and EFL Cup double, but a late flurry from Manchester United instead put the Hammers to the sword, leading Moyes to bluntly claim that his side "blew it".

Said Benrahma put West Ham into the ascendancy early in the second half, but Nayef Aguerd's own goal offered Man United a route back into the match, and a pair of late strikes from Alejandro Garnacho and Fred left the travelling fans heartbroken.

Moyes was left irked at the "ridiculous" goals his side conceded at the Theatre of Dreams, but it was the opposite in their most recent Premier League showdown, as Danny Ings's quickfire brace sparked a goal rush in a 4-0 thumping of Nottingham Forest - lifting them out of danger and into 16th place.

Success at the London Stadium is all well and good, but Moyes is yet to find the formula to end his side's abysmal spell of form on the road, which has seen them fail to win any of their last 10 Premier League games on rival territory since overcoming Aston Villa at the end of August.

Only Leeds United and Forest have also taken a league-low six points on their travels this season, and West Ham are still winless against Brighton since the Seagulls earned promotion to the big time in 2017 - losing each of their last two following a run of six successive stalemates.

Team News

Brighton must continue to work around the absences of Jakub Moder, Levi Colwill, Billy Gilmour, Adam Lallana and Yasin Ayari, while Pervis Estupinan's tight hamstring from the defeat to Fulham did not settle down in time for the FA Cup win over Stoke.

Estupinan has been given the green light here, though, along with Solly March, and the pair will be looking to force their way back into De Zerbi's starting lineup.

Having made several alterations in midweek, De Zerbi - who will serve a touchline ban here - can be expected to recall Robert Sanchez, Adam Webster and Joel Veltman to the backline, but Ferguson should have done enough to hold off the threat of Danny Welbeck.

Meanwhile, West Ham number one Lukasz Fabianski is confirmed to have sustained eye socket and cheekbone fractures in last week's win over Forest - which may or may not require surgery - so Alphonse Areola can look forward to an extended period in between the sticks.

Vladimir Coufal will need assessing after missing the FA Cup defeat to Man United with a heel injury, while Maxwel Cornet and Kurt Zouma are also touch-and-go - the latter has a better chance of making his comeback here but could be kept in reserve for the time being.

Jarrod Bowen is in line for a return to the first XI alongside Ings, who was cup-tied in midweek and is now primed to come back in over Michail Antonio and Gianluca Scamacca, who hit the headlines earlier this week after being dropped from his agency due to a breakdown in trust.

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Webster, Estupinan; Caicedo, Gross; March, Mac Allister, Mitoma; Ferguson

West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Johnson, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Emerson; Paqueta, Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Ings, Benrahma

We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 West Ham United

Even with an injection of confidence from last week's thumping of Nottingham Forest, West Ham's spate of failures on the road should prove costly against a Brighton side working with an extra day's rest.

De Zerbi's men cannot expect to blow the Hammers away given their recent blip, but the hosts can expect to prolong their unbeaten Premier League record against Moyes's men, whose demotion fears should deepen as Brighton remain in the hunt for Europe.


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