Match Preview: Brighton host Brentford looking to end winless run

December 27, 2024December 30, 2024 Andrew James 0 Comments

First things first, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a nice, relaxing, well-deserved break without having to think too much about the Albion. But now before we head into the new year, our beloved Brighton return to Premier League action when welcoming Thomas Frank’s Brentford to the Amex.

The Bees make it a third straight game against a London-based club. Brighton will be hoping to claim all three points in their last home game of 2024 to keep the dream of European football alive.

Brighton held in West London last time out

Lat weekend saw the Seagulls travel to the capital to draw 1-1 with West Ham United. The afternoon represented a chance for Brighton to get back to winning ways and put that dismal display against Crystal Palace firmly behind them and out of mind.

Julian Lopetegui’s Hammers had so far failed to impress this campaign, sitting a disappointing 14th place. It was only two years ago that West Ham were crowned UEFA Conference League champions. An historic moment for the club but one that seems like a distant memory now after two seasons of struggle.

The clash at the London Stadium was very open with the stats almost split between the two sides. Brighton had some impressive spells throughout and managed to take the lead thanks to Mats Wieffer scoring his first Albion goal.

Wieffer put home a ball parried under pressure by Hammers goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski. It was a wonderful first time low driven shot leaving the Polish shot stopper no chance and making it 1-0 to the Albion.

However, it only took seven minutes for the hosts to claw their way back into it courtesy of Mohammed Kudus, leaving Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler frustrated seeing his side surrender yet another lead.

Both sides continued to huff and puff producing chances, Brighton had not one but two superb opportunities to walk away with all three points; Karou Mitoma and Yasin Ayari narrowly missing.

In the end, all their hard work was to no avail and the game finished 1-1. The Albion headed back to the south-coast with a point in the bag, quite honestly another missed opportunity leaving many of the travelling fans feeling disappointed.

Not for the first time this season…

Brentford last time out

Brentford welcomed high-flying Nottingham Forest to the Gtech Stadium in their last game, being beaten 2-0 to lose at home for the first time this season.

The Bees were injury hit but still had the majority of possession at over 60 percent. They created some decent chances but failed to have any real impact in front of goal.

Forest in contrast scored via midfield pair Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga. The result propelled the Tricky Trees into fourth spot in the table to keep their impressive run going.

Brentford meanwhile hover just below Brighton in the table, sitting in 12th spot at the time of writing.

Brighton v Brentford head-to-head

Brighton and Brentford have met 79 times in their history. This Friday’s clash will be the seventh in the Premier League.

In the head-to-head, the Albion lead the way with 35 victories. Things have ended all square on 16 occasions, leaving Brentford to claim maximum points 28 times.

Brighton v Brentford team news

Now for the all important Brighton v Brentford team news. The Albion welcomed Matt O’Riley and Joel Veltman back at West Ham, a big boost for Hurzeler. However, he is still having to contend with a number of absentees.

Veterans James Milner remains sidelined as he continues to recover from a long-term hamstring injury. Fellow former ex-England international Danny Welbeck is unlikely to feature having missed both Crystal Palace and West Ham.

The absence of Welbeck represents a big blow as he has been in superb form for Brighton this season, scoring six goals from his first nine appearances.

Solly March continues to push to get back into first team contention after being out for over 12 months following an ACL and two knee surgeries.

On Monday during his press conference ahead of the Bees clash, Hurzeler said March is indeed very close to his long awaited return and could potentially make the squad to face Brentford.

Adam Webster should be fit and available for the first time since October. This is good news as it adds another defensive option to the squad.

Lastly, Wieffer was forced off against West Ham shortly after netting his first goal for the club. The Dutchman will be assessed day-by-day ahead of the game and a decision will be made if he can be included.

For Brentford, Frank is operating with an injury hit squad as already noted. Defensively, Brentford will be without a number of important players.

Centre back partners Kristoffer Ajer and Ethan Pinnock remain sidelined with no return date yet known for Norwegian international Ajer.

Full backs Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey are also not in contention. Rico is suffering from a muscle issue and Scotland international Hickey is recovering from a nasty hamstring injury that has kept him out for a number of months.

Mathias Jensen is another hamstring casualty. Again, his return is currently unknown. Lastly, central midfielder Josh DaSilva is recovering from knee surgery and not expected to return until March.

Brentford players to watch our for

Brentford have a solid squad at their disposal thanks to recruitment almost as smart as the Albion’s. Here are a couple of players you should keep an eye on.

Bryan Mbueno

Lethal striker Ivan Toney departed the Gtech in the summer, making a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia and joining Al Ahli for a reported £40 million.

The Bees needed someone to step up and replace Toney. Bryan Mbueno has certainly done that. Although the 25 year old is not a striker with his favoured position being on the right wing, Mbueno is a man that seems to have gotten better and better each year as his stats improve and his confidence grows. He is now establishing himself as a top player.

This is Mbueno’s fifth season with the Bees. The Cameroonian international has been on fire so far this campaign, baggeing himself an impressive 10 goals in 17 Premier League appearances. Only Mohammed Salah, Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer have more.

As well as being a goal scorer, Mbueno can also be the provider too. He has a couple of assists to his name. There were question marks over his future during the summer with Newcastle United said to have had a strong interest in him, but he chose to stay put and has flourished so far for Brentford.

Yoan Wissa

The next man Brighton should be making plans to deal with is Yoan Wissa. He joined Brentford all the way back in 2021, brought in to be an understudy and provide back up to Toney.

Since Toney moved Saudi Arabia, Wissa has made the number nine role his own. The ex-Lorient man has hit the back of the net nine times already and is on course to exceed his best ever season at the club of 12 goals, being only three away from that total with another 18 games left to be played.

Wissa is not the tallest or strongest striker out there but he is extremely agile and quick on his feet. He is able to dribble past defenders with ease and cause all sorts of problems for the opposition.

Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke will need to keep Wissa quiet on Friday night if Brighton are to get a result against Brentford.

Final thoughts

Both teams will feel that this is a must-win game for their hopes of a top 10 finish. Both will also come into it feeling they should be higher up the table than the actually are.

Brighton have a strong home record of eight games played, three wins, four draws and just one defeat. Brentford meanwhile are yet to win on their travels so far this season.

The Bees have a tendency to start games fast and on the front foot. They have scored in the opening two minutes on four occasions this season, something Hurzeler will surely be wary of.

I can see goals coming in both ends during this game. Brentford pose a serious attacking threat facing an Albion side who struggle to keep clean sheets. Defensively, the Bees have so many injuries that Brighton should be able to take advantage.

It all leads to a potentially exciting clash with the atmosphere normally electric on a Friday night. I am going for a narrow home win for the Albion; and I certainly mean narrow…