Brighton & Hove Albion will host Everton in the Premier League on Saturday. Following a 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United, the Seagulls will host their Merseyside rivals. Sean Dyche’s team held managerless Crystal Palace to a 1-1 draw on Monday.
Preview (Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Everton)
The Seagulls boss downed the ideal tonic at Bramall Lane on February 18. Roberto De Zerbi’s team experienced their manager’s agony in that agonizing late 2-1 defeat in North London. He was absent from the team’s loss to Tottenham Hotspur owing to suspension and dental surgery. Aided by Mason Holgate’s early red card for a horrific challenge on Kaoru Mitoma, Brighton scored five goals without a response from Danny Welbeck, Facundo Buonanotte, Jack Robinson’s own goal, and a brace from Simon Adingra in the second half.
Less than a month had passed since Brighton had also scored five goals against the Blades in the FA Cup. The Seagulls shocked Newcastle United by scoring twice at Bramall Lane. It moved them up to seventh position in the Premier League standings. Brighton’s performance last weekend was in line with a somewhat unusual trend. The team has scored at least four goals in each of the previous nine games. This puts them one point ahead of the Magpies in the Europa Conference League qualification slot.
Two of those impressive performances have occurred on their Amex patch against Spurs and Crystal Palace. Since September’s Europa League loss to AEK Athens, De Zerbi’s team has gone undefeated in 11 games overall. Additionally, they haven’t finished second in a Premier League home game since August. Although Everton’s run of victories at Goodison Park is not particularly noteworthy, the Toffees have not lost a Premier League game there since the start of the season. When Crystal Palace visited Walton, they shared the spoils for the third straight home game in the top division.
Team News
Five injured Brighton players were not there for the crushing of Sheffield United. Among them was Joao Pedro, who scored three goals at Bramall Lane in the FA Cup, but is anticipated to miss several weeks due to a thigh injury. James Milner is still recovering from a thigh injury, but he should be the first person out of the medical bay on the conveyor belt, most likely by the end of the month. Julio Enciso (knee), Jack Hinshelwood (foot), and Solly March (knee) are still restricted to the treatment room.
At halftime in the Seagulls’ victory over Sheffield United, De Zerbi benched defense combination Tariq Lamptey and Adam Webster; nevertheless, those moves seemed to be tactical in nature, and it’s possible that the manager took into account past fitness issues as well. Dele Alli (groin) and Arnaut Danjuma (ankle) will not return to the Everton first team just yet, but unfortunately, Andre Gomes (calf) is nearing the end of his recuperation from his most recent injury and could push his way back into the mix.
Due to illness, Captain Sean Coleman was absent from the team for Palace’s visit, but the 35-year-old should recover in time for Saturday when Dyche might perhaps think about making a few more changes further up the pitch. After his crucial late intervention against Palace, Onana will undoubtedly push Idrissa Gueye to the bench, and Jack Harrison should be considered to take Ashley Young’s spot on the flank.
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Everton
For more football previews, click here
