Brentford look to continue their unbeaten start to life in the Premier League as they face Brighton at Brentford Community Stadium.
Victory will see Brentford stay in the top ten and climb above Brighton, whereas the Seagulls can temporarily climb into the top six with a win.
Team News
Mads Sorensen is ruled out long-term for Brentford after suffering a knee injury last month.
Frank Onyeka (Coronavirus) is likely to return but Josh Dasilva (hip) is still absent.
Brighton could welcome Solly March back after the midfielder missed their defeat to Everton two weeks ago with a hamstring injury.
Dan Burn (knee) and Aaron Connolly (knock) could also feature but Tariq Lamptey (thigh) and Kjell Scherpen (ankle) are still ruled out.
Stat Attack
- This is the first-ever Premier League clash between Brentford and Brighton.
- Brentford have lost just one of their last five meetings against Brighton (W2, D2, L1).
- Brighton are visiting Brentford Community Stadium for the first time but have avoided defeat in four of their last five away matches against the Bees in all competitions (W2, D2, L1).
- Brentford’s Christian Norgaard has been yellow carded in their last two matches, with both bookings coming in the second half.
- Graham Potter’s Seagulls have won just one of their last five away league matches (W1, D1, L4).
Prediction
Since arriving in the Premier League, Brentford have already established themselves as a difficult team to beat with a strong pressing style, although momentary lapses in man-marking cost them a win against Aston Villa last month on top of poor finishing.
Brighton meanwhile were simply frustrated by a stubborn Everton team and were ultimately undone by just two clinical moments, which forced mistakes from their defence so I do expect them to bounce back here with a stronger performance.
Either way, both teams have definitely made a stronger start than many expected and I have a feeling that they might cancel each other out in quality, unless Brighton’s top-flight experience proves the difference in what should be a tough but entertaining battle.
Prediction: Brentford 1-1 Brighton
Result: Brentford 0-1 Brighton