After beating the Red Devils last weekend, West Ham are hoping that their good run will stretch out for at least one more week. And judging by the form of their next opponent, Brighton, the Hammers should not have big problems. Unfortunately for them, Brighton are famously tough to beat when playing at the AMEX Stadium, so their job on Friday evening probably won’t be easy. So, will the Hammers manage to make their third Premier League win of the season? Find out in this Brighton vs West Ham match preview!
Brighton
When they beat Manchester United in the second round, everyone though Brighton are gonna have no relegation worries at the end of the Premier League season 2018/2019. But, things look a bit different now. The win over the Red Devils is their only win this season so far and they’re in a pretty poor form at the moment, losing two Premier League games in a row. To be fair to Brighton, they did play against some pretty tough teams since the season has started. They already played with aforementioned Man United, but also Man City, Tottenham, and Liverpool.
It seems that the good days are coming to Brighton, but I’m not totally sure if this Friday is when they’re gonna arrive. Brighton are playing against the in-form West Ham, who are simply the better team in terms of player quality. But, what gives Brighton confidence is that they’re playing in front of their own crowd.
The American Express Community Stadium in Falmer, East Sussex is one of the best-sold venues in the Premier League. Actually, it’s always near full capacity when Brighton are playing at home. So, you can be sure this team is gonna have plenty of support against West Ham on Friday. And the support from the stands has helped this team a lot in the past. For example, last season, they won seven games at home, while they made only two wins on the road.
West Ham
After a terrible start of the season in terms of results, West Ham are again on the right track. To be fair to the Hammers, even when they were losing, their performances on the pitch weren’t too bad. In some cases, they simply didn’t have enough luck, e.g. the match with Wolves.
But, now, they’re in a winning form. After beating Everton, they played draw with Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge, followed by one of the greatest victories in their recent history, the win over Manchester United that happened last week.
Beating such a tough team as Man United has given them a lot of boost ahead of the duel with Brighton. If they can beat the Red Devils why wouldn’t they be able to do the same against one of the biggest relegation candidates?
Team News
Brighton absentees:
- Pascal Gross (doubtful)
- Dale Stephens (doubtful)
West Ham absentees:
- Manuel Lanzini (injury)
- Jack Wilshere (injury)
- Andy Carroll (injury)
- Wilson Reid (injury)
- Carlos Sanchez (injury)
- Chicharito (doubtful)
Possible Lineups
Brighton
Ryan – Duffy, Dunk, Montoya, Bong – Kayal, Propper, Bissouma, Knockaert, March – Murray
West Ham
Fabianski – Balbuena, Diop, Zabaleta, Masuaku – Rice, Noble, Obiang, Yarmolenko, Anderson – Arnautovic
Brighton vs West Ham Match Prediction
West Ham are in a fantastic form and must not get complacent if they wanna get away from the bottom and get to the place where they belong. And I’m sure Pellegrini won’t allow them to get sloppy. They’re gonna take the Brighton game seriously and take all three points from the visit to the South Coast.
Brighton vs West Ham Betting Tips
- West Ham @2.90 (bet365)