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.
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.
Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:
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Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:
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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.