The Premier League returns this weekend following the international break with both Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford casting glances up the table.
The Bees’ draw against Leicester City last time out means that it is now just one defeat in 15 Premier League games for Thomas Frank’s side, while Brighton’s run is just as impressive as they head into Saturday’s clash having lost just once in 13 in all competitions.
The two teams are separated by just goal difference inside the top eight.
The Opposition
Brighton and Hove Albion
Life is most certainly good for Brighton and Hove Albion fans right now.
The Seagulls are currently seventh in the Premier League, seven points off the top four with three games in hand, and have an Emirates FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United to look forward to next month.
Since returning from the World Cup break, Roberto De Zerbi’s side have lost just twice as they seek to bring European football to Brighton for the first time ever.
What’s made this season even more impressive is how Brighton have dealt with plenty of off-field upheaval.
Ahead of the season, Yves Bissouma joined Tottenham Hotspur and Marc Cucurella made the switch to Chelsea. The left-back was then followed to SW6 in early September by head coach Graham Potter.
Taking over the team sitting in fourth, De Zerbi didn’t enjoy the greatest of starts following his appointment a fortnight later. The Seagulls didn’t win in their first five under the Italian, including a 2-0 defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium, but a 4-1 victory at home to Potter’s Chelsea in late October re-ignited their campaign.
In that time, Brighton were also handed another tragic blow with 24-year-old midfielder Enoch Mwepu forced to retire because of a hereditary heart condition.
The January transfer window brought more challenges. Top scorer Leandro Trossard joined Arsenal with Moises Caicedo on the brink of joining him until an 11th-hour decision by Brighton to reject Arsenal’s approaches.
However, in Trossard’s absence, others have stepped up. Kaoru Mitoma has been a revelation in 2023, contributing seven goals and five assists since the turn of the year, while Solly March has eight goals and three assists in his last 14 outings.
Despite the lack of a prolific frontman, an issue which has dogged Brighton during their time in the top flight, the Seagulls are still the league’s fourth-top scorers. Alongside March and Mitoma, Alexis MacAllister, a key cog in Argentina’s World Cup-winning side, has seven goals with Pascal Gross chipping in with six from central midfield.
De Zerbi made a change in goal ahead of the international break, replacing Robert Sanchez with Jason Steele. At the time the Spaniard had the third-worst save percentage in the top flight, while his replacement has now come in and kept two clean sheets in three league games.
In front of him, Joel Veltman, Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk and Pervis Estupinian have formed the basis of the sixth-meanest defence in the league.
If Brighton are to gate-crash the top four, they will need to up their form at the Amex. They’ve lost more games on home soil (four) than they have away (three), with three of those defeats coming in their last seven games on the south coast.
The Gameplan
With The Athletic’s Andy Naylor
Andy Naylor, Brighton and Hove Albion correspondent for The Athletic, discusses the Seagulls' European chances, the impact of boss Roberto De Zerbi, and the players Brentford need to keep an eye on at the Amex on Saturday in Hot off the Press.
“Under Potter, they used to deviate between a back three and a back four, but they used to play a back three with wing-backs more often than they have under De Zerbi.
“He has occasionally used it but, usually, it’s a 4-2-3-1 with MacAllister and Caicedo or Gross as the double pivot, Mitoma and March out wide.”
Team News
Roerslev available for Brighton trip
Brentford have no new injury concerns following the international break and will also be able to welcome back Mads Roerslev after his recovery from a hamstring issue.
The defender missed the Bees' three games before the international break but Thomas Frank revealed he is available for Saturday's visit to the south coast at his Thursday press conference.
His return, plus that of Thomas Strakosha, leaves Vitaly Janelt (knee), Kristoffer Ajer (calf), Shandon Baptiste (suspended) and Keane Lewis-Potter (knee) as Brentford's absentees.
For Brighton, Adam Lallana (thigh) and Jakub Moder (knee) are both out while Tariq Lamptey (knee) could return on Saturday after nearly a month on the sidelines.
In the Dugout
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 onto 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.
After Potter’s departure earlier this season, De Zerbi has continued Brighton’s progress, winning 13 of his 25 games in charge so far.
Last Time Out
Brentford 2 Brighton and Hove Albion 0 (Premier League, 14 October 2022)
Ivan Toney celebrated his 100th game for Brentford with a brace to secure all three points for the Bees at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The striker netted either side of the break, his first an impudent flick and his second a trademark penalty, to secure a third home win in five for Thomas Frank’s side.
Match officials
World Cup referee Michael Oliver to take charge of Saturday’s clash
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring
Fourth official: Leigh Doughty
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes
Son of Football League Referee Clive Oliver, Northumberland official Michael Oliver took up the whistle at the age of 14.
Eight years later he was officiating the Conference Play-Off final at Wembley, becoming the youngest man to referee a game at the national stadium.
He progressed through the ranks to take the League One Play-Off final in 2009 and became the youngest top-flight referee when he oversaw Birmingham City versus Blackburn Rovers in August 2010, aged 25.
In 2016, Oliver was appointed to the UEFA list of Champions League referees, four years after his addition to the FIFA list.
His international resume includes the 2022 UEFA Super Cup, games at Euro 2020 and Qatar 2022, and matches in the Champions League, Europa League and international qualifiers.
His first two Brentford games were both in League Two. A 1-1 draw away at Rochdale in October 2007 was followed 12 months later by another 1-1 draw, this time at Grimsby Town.
He took charge of the Bees' League Cup third-round giant killing of Everton in September 2010 before awarding us the last-minute penalty against Doncaster Rovers which Marcello Trotta missed on the final day of the 2012/13 season.
Last season’s outings saw three victories in the Premier League - against Arsenal, Watford and Everton - plus an Emirates FA Cup defeat to the Toffees.
Brighton and Hove Albion 2022/23
264 fouls – 16th in Premier League
33 yellow cards – joint-fewest in Premier League
0 red cards – joint-fewest in Premier League