Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Premier League clash between Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Burnley‘s battle to escape the Premier League relegation zone will continue on Saturday afternoon, when they welcome an out-of-form Brighton & Hove Albion outfit to Turf Moor.
The home side are currently 19th in the table, six points from the safety of 17th position, while Brighton sit 10th, with the Seagulls picking up just one point from their last three matches during a disappointing run.
Match preview
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Burnley are in serious danger of dropping back down into the Championship for the 2024-25 campaign, with the Clarets needing a strong finish to the season to stand a chance of escaping the relegation zone.
Vincent Kompany‘s side brought a four-game unbeaten run into their clash with Everton last weekend, which included a 2-1 home success over Brentford, but they suffered a 1-0 loss at Goodison Park, with the result leaving them on 19 points from 32 matches.
There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough campaign for the Clarets, who have won just four times in the league, and they are six points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest with six games left.
Burnley have a monumental game against Sheffield United next weekend before heading to Manchester United at the end of the month, while they will take on Nottingham Forest on the last matchday of the season, which could potentially be a relegation decider depending on what occurs over the next few weeks.
Kompany’s team have the worst home record in the league this season, picking up just nine points from 16 matches, but Brighton have been inconsistent on their travels, claiming only 16 points from 16 games, suffering eight losses in the process, which will hand the hosts confidence here.
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The ongoing speculation surrounding the future of Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi is a distraction that the team could do without, and the Seagulls are in danger of dropping into the bottom half of the division approaching the final straight.
Brighton finished sixth during an incredible 2022-23 Premier League season, which saw them compete in the Europa League this term, but they were knocked out of the competition by Roma in the round of 16, suffering a 4-1 aggregate defeat to the Italian giants.
The Seagulls have picked up just one point from their last three league games, drawing 0-0 at Brentford either side of defeats to the top two Liverpool and Arsenal.
De Zerbi’s team are currently 10th in the table, one point behind ninth-placed Chelsea but only two points ahead of Bournemouth in 12th, while Fulham in 13th are just four points behind.
Brighton will host Manchester City in their next match after this one, which increases the importance of picking up a positive result against a Burnley side that are desperate for the points.
The Seagulls have actually only one won of their last five Premier League matches against Burnley, and the points were shared in a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Burnley Premier League form:
Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:
Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):
Team News
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Burnley will again be without the services of six players through injury this weekend, with Aaron Ramsey, Nathan Redmond, Luca Koleosho, Jordan Beyer, Ameen Al-Dakhil and Han-Noah Massengo all unavailable.
The Clarets did not pick up any fresh fitness problems against Everton, but Dara O’Shea is suspended following his red card at Goodison Park, which could open the door for Hannes Delcroix to come into the side.
Head coach Kompany is unlikely to shuffle his pack despite the loss last time out, with David Datro Fofana bidding to add to the four league goals that he has managed since arriving in January, while 19-year-old Wilson Odobert should also retain his spot in the final third of the field.
As for Brighton, Solly March, Jack Hinshelwood, Kaoru Mitoma, Billy Gilmour and James Milner are all still injured, while Adam Webster and Evan Ferguson remain fitness doubts.
Head coach De Zerbi’s options are limited due to the list of absentees, but there is expected to be at least one change from the side that started the loss to Arsenal last time out.
Joao Pedro is pushing to be included in the starting side, with the attacker potentially coming in for Jakub Moder, while Facundo Buonanotte will also be in the manager’s thinking when it comes to possible alterations.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Muric; Assignon, Delcroix, Esteve, Taylor; Foster, Cullen, Berge, Larsen; Odobert, Fofana
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Gross, Baleba; Adingra, Pedro, Enciso; Welbeck
We say: Burnley 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Draws are no good to Burnley at this stage of the season, but they have only managed four league wins all campaign, and it is difficult to back them to get over the line here. Brighton’s recent performances have been disappointing, but the Seagulls should be good enough for a point on Saturday afternoon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
