Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Premier League clash between Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Two sides who enjoyed impressive Premier League victories last weekend meet at the Amex on Saturday, when Brighton & Hove Albion play host to Everton.
Both clubs have been guilty of not winning enough games this season, but they took a huge step in the right direction with their performances last Sunday.
Match preview
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Being away from the Amex over the past few weeks has helped Brighton get their season back on track, when it was starting to show signs of fading into mediocrity.
After an eight-game winless run in the Premier League, Brighton have since earned back-to-back victories, both coming on the road.
Beating Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road ended that barren run, before Fabian Hurzeler‘s men went to Old Trafford and swept an out-of-sorts Manchester United aside in a 3-1 success.
That was the third year running Brighton have won at Old Trafford, and they have done so under three different managers, with Hurzeler joining Roberto De Zerbi and Graham Potter in earning the Seagulls three points at the Theatre of Dreams.
The impact of their 4-0 win away to Norwich City in the FA Cup should not be underestimated either, because that allowed the likes of Georginio Rutter and Yankuba Minteh to return to form, and they both scored in the Man United win.
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Brighton now sit ninth and are well in the hunt for European qualification again, lying only three points off the top seven, and six off the top four.
This weekend provides the hosts with the opportunity to win three straight Premier League games for the first time in almost 18 months, but finding the winning spark at the Amex will be required, given that they have only taken maximum points three times in 10 games here this season.
However, they will enter this fixture knowing they have already enjoyed a big win over upcoming opponents Everton this season, leaving Goodison Park with a 3-0 victory on the opening day.
Brighton have never before completed a league double over Everton in 11 previous seasons, and David Moyes‘s task will be to ensure that continues, and the Toffees have a good recent record at the Amex.
After not winning on any of their first four Premier League visits here, Everton have now won two of the last three, and they should have taken three points here last season too, inexplicably throwing two points away in injury time against a 10-man Brighton.
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The Everton faithful will hope that Moyes can change the tune regarding their away form though, where they have just one goal in six games, and signs that times are changing were present last weekend, when the Toffees were dominant in their win over Tottenham Hotspur.
While the final score read 3-2, that was extremely flattering for a Spurs side that could have had no complaints if they were 6-0 down before pulling a goal back.
It was Everton’s first win since early December, moving them four points clear of the drop zone, and it also saw them claim a victory in the month of January for the first time in four years.
A blistering first-half performance also saw the Toffees score three goals in the opening 45 minutes at Goodison for the first time since April 2017, and they also scored two open-play goals in a single game for the first time in nine months.
Faltering in the second-half is nothing new though, and that is something Moyes must rectify, because no team has scored as few goals (seven) or conceded a higher proportion of goals (68%) after the interval than Everton.
A Premier League table taking into account only goals in the second half of matches would see Everton sit bottom of the table, so maintaining performance levels for longer than 45 minutes will be a priority.
Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:
Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):
Everton Premier League form:
Everton form (all competitions):
Team News
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Brighton are close to welcoming back numerous first-team players from injury, with Evan Ferguson, Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda and Jack Hinshelwood all back in training.
Out for the long term, Igor will not be seen again this season, while Ferdi Kadioglu and James Milner will not be back until next month.
Kaoru Mitoma has a fine record against Everton, scoring on two of his last three visits to Goodison, and notching another here at the Amex will see him become the first Japanese player to find the net in three straight Premier League games.
There will be little reason for Moyes to make any changes to his Everton team after their win last weekend, with the players who came into the side impressing.
Jesper Lindstrom caught the eye, having his best game in an Everton shirt to date, while summer signing Jake O’Brien got his first league start at right-back, doing nothing wrong despite playing slightly out of position.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin ended his 16-game scoring drought, solidifying his place in the starting XI, and finding some form in front of goal will be crucial, with Armando Broja out injured and Beto seemingly not in Moyes’s plans.
Everton will hope to welcome Dwight McNeil back from injury before the month is out, while James Garner has also been in full training, but is being eased back into the fold for the time being.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Joao Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Lindstrom, Gueye, Mangala, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Everton
The stats suggest this will be a difficult afternoon for Everton, who have won just one of their last 21 away Premier League games, and Moyes has only ever enjoyed one win over the Seagulls in 10 previous meetings.
Brighton are back in form and full of confidence, scoring goals at will and collecting maximum points, and they will be favourites to do so again this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
