4 reasons Brighton & Hove Albion can secure a European place at the end of the 2022-2023 season

The 2022/2023 Premier League season kicked off barely two months after the previous edition and saw minor changes to the tournament rules.

Finally, the long awaited five subs per game was introduced to replace the previous three and players only had to take the knee in selected games.

The league kicked off with Manchester City gunning to retain the title and newly promoted sides Nottingham Forest, Fulham, and Bournemouth hoping to stay in the big leagues.

Brighton looked to add to the success of last season and showed that in an impressive 2-1 win against Manchester United.

Fast forward to the current game week and the Seagulls have maintained their strong form, and currently sit 7th in the league table despite a managerial change during the season.

Here, we’ll share five reasons why Brighton are likely to secure an European spot this season. If you’re looking to bet on Brighton and other EPL teams, you should visit the best UK betting sites list with amazing market options, generous odds, and a generally wonderful experience! Football betting is a huge market and you should be able to make some good money with the right predictions.

4 Reasons Brighton & Hove Albion Why Brighton Might Be Playing in Europe Next Season

Since their inception over a century ago, the Seagulls have not participated in any European or international competition. However, we believe that history will be made next season and these are our reasons.

1) Beautiful and solid football
In the past two years, Brighton have established themselves as one of the most beautiful Premier league sides to watch.

Even if you’re not their fan or you’re just looking to place wagers on football betting sites UK, you can’t deny how thrilling it is to watch Brighton play.

Their attacking patterns are advanced and they have managed to go toe to toe tactically with some of the league’s best teams.

In the 2020/2021 season they finished 9th, same as the previous season but heavily underperformed their xG (expected goals) in both league editions.

Statistics show that if it weren’t for poor finishing, the team should have scored an additional 22 goals within the span of the two seasons.

That might have been enough to secure them a 7th league finish and an European spot. This season, they’ve started even better and are seventh on both the xG and league table so they are finally converting their chances.

If the Seagulls go on like this, there’s absolutely nothing stopping them from at least a spot in next season’s European Conference League.

2) Injury worries for their opposition
The current EPL top four is not one many would have predicted. While many anticipated Arsenal’s rise and Man City’s dominance, no one expected Newcastle to be third at this stage of the season.

Last year’s second and third place teams Liverpool and Chelsea, currently lie 6th and 8th with most of their problems attributed to injuries.

Due to the heavy fixture congestion especially for teams participating in Europe, there are now high records of injuries and Brighton can take advantage of this relapse to gather the necessary points required.

3) FA Cup glory
Wigan’s 2013 FA Cup Final win against Manchester City and Leicester City’s 2021 FA Cup Final win against Chelsea are perfect reminders as to why the FA Cup is one football’s most unpredictable tournaments.

With the competition kicking off in early January, Brighton is definitely a team that could go all the way. After all, they have already defeated two big Premier League teams in the league this season and have shown that they are a force to reckon with. Remember that an FA Cup win guarantees a European League Group Stage spot.

4) Roberto De Zerbi
When Graham Potter left Brighton for Chelsea this season, there were serious doubts about his potential replacement.

The Englishman had transformed Brighton from relegation battlers to a mid-table team in under 3 years. Also, his ability to identify unknown talents that fit perfectly into his tactical plans was another major reason he was loved and there was no denying his departure would leave a hole in the club.

Luckily, Brighton found Roberto De Zerbi who, like Potter, employed great attacking patterns in his team’s gameplay and possessed quality talent ID.

Roberto De Zerbi smooth take over and impressive performances against teams like Chelsea and Liverpool are good enough reasons to believe that he’s capable of guiding the seagulls to their first appearance in Europe.

The bottom line
In the past few years, Brighton & Hove Albion has shown the footballing world the importance of strategic planning, good scouting, and excellent recruitment.

This is why they have gone from a Championship team no one talked about to a strong Premiership side. But the seagulls are far from done and here, we explored four reasons why they might take another gigantic step and qualify for European football next season.