Team news, analysis, past encounters, match officials - here’s everything you need to know ahead of Brentford’s meeting with Brighton and Hove Albion.

We return to home soil for the first time in nearly a month as Brighton and Hove Albion visit the Gtech Community Stadium tonight.

The Seagulls are two games into the Roberto De Zerbi reign, following Graham Potter’s move to Chelsea, with a 3-3 draw at Liverpool and a narrow defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

Get all the build-up to tonight’s game under the lights below.

The opposition

Brighton and Hove Albion

Year after year, Brighton and Hove Albion set new club records as they gain comfort in the Premier League - and last season was no different.

In 2021/22, they bettered their most wins in a season (12), fewest defeats (11), most goals scored (42), fewest goals conceded (44), highest points tally (51) and highest league finish (ninth).

Graham Potter’s work on the South Coast was the gift that kept on giving. Seemingly the only thing holding them back from challenging even higher up the table was their tendency to draw games, which they did on 15 occasions in 2021/22.

Both this season and last, the Seagulls have often underperformed in terms of expected goals and expected points. The chances have been created, they just have not been able to finish them.

It seemed as though a clinical No.9 would go some way to remedying their shortcomings, given the sale of often-wasteful ex-Brentford striker Neal Maupay to Everton in the final week of August.

But, as the season began, it soon became apparent Brighton would be more than capable without one. Danny Welbeck has often led the line alone and fared well doing so, but it has been those around him who have stolen the limelight. Pascal Gross has racked up three goals and two assists and Alexis Mac Allister has scored four times. Leandro Trossard, meanwhile, has five goals from an xG of 2.3 and two assists from an xA of 1.1.

New manager Roberto De Zerbi left Shakhtar Donetsk after the outbreak of war in Ukraine and replaced Potter after his departure to Chelsea on 8 September, signing a four-year deal with the Seagulls.

Brighton started the season with a 2-1 win against Manchester United - the club’s first-ever victory at Old Trafford - and, prior to their recent draw with Liverpool, had beaten both Leeds and Leicester.

So far this season for the Seagulls, there have been more encouraging signs that you can shake a stick at.

The gameplan

With Sussex Live’s Richie Mills

Richie Mills of Sussex Live looks at what Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton stand for in Hot off the Press: “In terms of the style of play, it’s not too dissimilar to Potter’s. He likes to have his teams build from the back and be patient in doing so, like Potter did, but I think he is more direct. He wants the team to be brave and courageous, so I think we might see something from the Kevin Keegan book: If you score three, we’ll score four. They may not be as solid at the back as they were under Potter, but I think we’ll see a similar formation, in the sense that there will be three centre-backs and wing-backs, but he could change it up.”

Team news

Thomas Frank's pre-match press conference

After welcoming back Ethan Pinnock and Sergi Canós last weekend, there’s more good news for Thomas Frank with Keane Lewis-Potter in his plans again following a foot injury.

Skipper Pontus Jansson (hamstring), Christian Nørgaard, Charlie Goode (both knee) and Thomas Strakosha (ankle) remain out, however.

Brighton and Hove Albion were dealt the devastating news during the week that midfelder Enock Mwepu would have to retire due to a hereditary heart condition while Jakub Moder (knee) is still out.

The boss

Roberto De Zerbi

Roberto De Zerbi was appointed head coach of Brighton and Hove Albion on 18 September, replacing Graham Potter.

Born in Brescia, De Zerbi spent much of his 13-year playing career in the Italian lower leagues but did enjoy a successful spell with Romanian side CFR Cluj at the end of his career. He made nearly 300 appearances in total, finishing with two Romanian titles and a Romanian Cup win on his CV.

His took up his first coaching role with amateur Serie D side Darfo Boario in November 2013. 

He went on to manage Palermo, Benevento and Sassuolo in Serie A, where he developed a reputation for possession-based, attacking football.

He joined Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in May 2021 and, in his one season at the club, became the first Italian manager to lift the Ukrainian Super Cup.

Opposition view

Roberto De Zerbi spoke to brightonandhovealbion.com about facing Brentford: "Brentford are a good team. We will have to suffer, they have a good style of play, second balls, and long balls, but we can play our football and they will have to suffer as well [because of] our skills and ability, our players, our style of play.

"They [Brentford] are a good team, they can play with five defenders or four. The last game against Newcastle, they played with five defenders and they can play with three attackers but we are ready to play against every style."

Last time out

Brighton and Hove Albion 2 Brentford 0

Match officials

Referee: Michael Salisbury

Assistants: Neil Davies and Timothy Wood

Fourth official: Graham Scott

VAR: Mike Dean

Assistant VAR: Nick Hopton

Michael Salisbury was one of four officials added to the Select Group 1 of top-flight referees ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

That promotion came just a year after he was added to the Select Group 2 of Sky Bet Championship officials.

Michael was influenced to take up the whistle by his father, Graham, who ended his own 21-year career as an EFL referee at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

After progressing through his local leagues in Preston, Salisbury's first taste of the professional game came in 2010 as an Assistant Referee in the Football League. Five years later he was added to the National League referees list, a year before progressing to the EFL list.

Since then, Michael has officiated in eight different countries and visited Wembley Stadium six times, refereeing the Sky Bet League Two Play-Off Final in June 2020 which saw Charlie Goode and Northampton Town run out 4-0 winners against Exeter City.

Salisbury's four Brentford appointments so far have all ended in wins for Thomas Frank's side. They came courtesy of a 3-0 success at Luton Town and a 1-0 home win over Rotherham United in our promotion-winning season, as well as last season’s Carabao Cup Fourth Round victory over Stoke City and our 3-0 Premier League win over Southampton in May.

Brighton and Hove Albion 22/23

76 fouls - Fourth-fewest in Premier League

9 yellow cards – Third-fewest in Premier League

0 red card – Joint-fewest in Premier League