Match Preview: Brighton host out-of-form, almost relegated Leicester…

April 12, 2025April 12, 2025 Andrew James 0 Comments

After a truly dismal couple of weeks for Brighton, the visit of Leicester City to the Amex provides the perfect platform for the Seagulls to get the train back on the track.

The Albion need to regain some form and hopefully reignite the fire in the belly to finish the season strong and achieve something special at the end of it.

Leicester arrive with a dreaded combination of the second-worst defence in the Premier League and one of the most woeful attacks.

They are just one more loss away from an immediate return to the Championship being officially confirmed, making it a case of when rather than if they are relegated.

The Eagles beat the Seagulls

Just when you thought Brighton could not put in a worse performance than the heavy 7-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest or the 3-0 whipping we took from Aston Villa… Palace goes and happens.

There could not have been a more awful start to the game for the Albion. It took just 120 seconds for the Eagles to hit the back of the net, striker Jean Phillipe-Mateta putting the hosts ahead and adding to the misery the Albion fans have been through over the last few weeks.

On the 31st minute, Danny Welbeck pulled Brighton level with his 31st league goal in an Albion shirt. He is now the club’s record Premier League scorer, a terrific achievement.

The game continued to be an open one. Chances came for both sides but it was Palace who got themselves in front for a second time.

Brazilian Daniel Munoz bagged his fourth of the campaign just shy of the hour mark. There were not many more notable chances to mention during the second half. However, plenty of drama ensued late on…

Eagles striker Eddie Nketiah received his marching orders in the 78th minute, picking up a second yellow card after his introduction from the bench.

This gave the Albion plenty of encouragement to push for an important equaliser and maybe even a winner. Brighton had all the ball but struggled to break down a solid Palace back-line.

In the final minute of normal time, Palace central defender and club captain Marc Guehi was then also sent off for the Eagles. A poor tackle on Jan Paul van Hecke saw the highly rated centre half walk.

12 minutes of added time was announced to a loud boo from the majority of Selhurst Park. Midway through the injury period and there was a third red card; this time for Brighton with Van Hecke dismissed by referee Anthony Taylor.

Even with the extra man advantage, Fabian Hurzeler’s men could not find the equaliser. The Eagles were solid defensively and an inspired Dean Henderson in the home goal made some great saves to make sure it finished Palace 2-1 Brighton.

It was the first time the Eagles have done the league double over Brighton since the 1930s, making it a loss which very much hurt.

Leicester put to the sword by the Toon Army

Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s Foxes were last in action on Monday night when they hosted the recently crowned Carabao Cup winners Newcastle United at the King Power Stadium.

It only took 11 minutes for Newcastle to move out of sight after the Magpies scored not one, but two quickfire goals courtesy of a brace from winger Jacob Murphy.

Midway through the first half and the home stands started to empty. Fans could not bear to watch anymore, a sad situation for a side who lifted the Premier League title less than 10 years ago.

Even more pain came for Leicester when their former winger Harvey Barnes hit the back of the net and put the game competently out of sight in the 34th minute.

Not much else happened on the night. The Toon Army continued to pile on the pressure but the Foxes managed to hold firm and avoid total humiliation, slipping to ‘only’ a 3-0 defeat as their inevitable relegation moves a step closer.

Brighton v Leicester head-to-head

This will be the 45h meeting between Brighton and Leicester. The Foxes currently lead the head-to-head with 19 wins to the Albion’s 15. The remaining 10 games have ended as draws.

That was the case the last time the sides faced off in December. Brighton completely dominated and found themselves 2-0 in the 80th minute. The goals came from Tariq Lamptey and Yankuba Minteh.

However, in the dying minutes of the game, veteran Jamie Vardy (more on him later) pulled one back. Leicester then levelled through Bobby Decodova Reid in the 91st minute, leaving the Albion fans who made the journey incensed.

It was the second time in just a matter of weeks that Brighton had bottled a two-goal lead in the dying minutes of a game against opponents in the bottom three. The exact same thing happened at home against Wolves.

Brighton v Leicester team news

The Albion injury list continues to grow with problems all over the pitch. Hurzeler confirmed in his pre-Leicester press conference that Kaoru Mitoma is likely to miss the game after picking up a knock at Palace.

Georginio Rutter, Igor, Ferdi Kadioglu and Lamptey are all long-term absentees almost certain to miss the remainder of the season.

As is Adam Webster. With Joel Veltman still out and Jan Paul van Hecke suspended, it leaves Brighton with very few defensive options.

So much so that there is a chance Hurzeler may switch to a back three of Lewis Dunk, Eiran Cashin and Mats Wieffer.

If he does, it will be the first time Hurzeler uses his formation and tactics of a midfielder playing in a three man defence which brought so much success for St Pauli as Brighton boss.

Van Nistelrooy has a much healthier selection available to him this weekend with only a couple of notable absentees.

Centre back Harry Souttar is out for the rest of the season – and maybe even the following campaign in the Championship. The 26-year-old Australian is recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture.

Winger Issahaku Fatawu is another that will not return this season after picking an ACL injury. Facundo Buonanotte meanwhile is ineligible to play against Brighton as per the loan agreement which took him to the King Power Stadium.

Leicester City players to watch out for

Despite the position Leicester find themselves in, they do have a few individuals who can put in a performance and cause Brighton issues.

Jamie Vardy

One of the biggest threats the Foxes possess is of course club legend Jamie Vardy. Even at the age of 38, he is still a top quality player and continues to look as fit as a flea.

Vardy is well known for his lightning fast speed and clinical finishing, attributes which have not deserted him with age.

During his 13 years at Leicester, Vardy has helped take them from a mid table Championship side to Premier League champions in 2016, a truly incredible achievement.

Vardy stayed loyal to the Foxes, something which is sadly hard to find these days *cough Caicedo Sanchez Cucurella Potter cough*. He has turned down multiple advances from other clubs in years gone by, most notably rejecting Arsenal after the Foxes title win.

Nowadays, he does not start as many games but has still managed to chip in seven Premier League goals. As a top flight icon, Vardy will be looking to bow out with a bang ahead of returning to the Championship for next season.

Jordan Ayew

The next man I wanted to focus on for the visitors is a player Brighton fans know all about – Jordan Ayew. The former Crystal Palace player swapped South London for Leicester last summer, ending a six year stint with the Eagles.

Ayew has proven a decent signing for the Foxes, adding top flight experience to a fairly young squad. He has netted five times so far this season in all competitions.

Relegation means there is a big question mark hanging over Ayew’s Leicester future. He will therefore be doing everything possible to put himself in the shop window to try and persuade another club to offer him Premier League football next season.

Ayew has proven a thorn in the Albion’s side as a Palace player in the past. He will be looking to do so again to delight both his current employers and his former fans at Selhurst Park.

Final thoughts

I cannot stress enough that this is a must win game for Brighton. Anything less than three points against a side who have lost nine games in a row and not scored for seven consecutive matches would not only be embarrassing, but potentially catastrophic come the season’s end in May.

Things remain incredibly tight in the race for Europe. As if that is not motivation enough, the Albion have to deliver a reaction after what happened against Palace last week. Brighton have also had two days more rest than Leicester, meaning there can be no excuses.

Despite the injuries, the Albion front line will be licking their lips at taking on the second-worst defence in the Premier League.

Leicester have conceded an incredible 70 goals and the likes of Welbeck, Minteh and Joao Pedro should have enough firepower to add to their woes.

But at the other end, this looks as a good a game as any for the Foxes to snap their scoreless streak against a makeshift Albion defence.

Dunk is out-of-form, Cashin only has 18 minutes of Premier League football to his name and Wieffer has made a number of mistakes already during his short time at the club – including being the cause of Van Hecke’s red card last week.