🔊 Can Brighton extend their unbeaten run from last season into the first round of the English Premier League against Fulham? The Seagulls' successful streak has carried over into their preseason friendlies. Additionally, last year, Brighton's head coach was named Manager of the Month in August. A strong start to the new season could help in establishing a positive tradition. Can Fulham disrupt the rise of the league's youngest manager? Let's delve into our prediction.

Head-to-Head

📊 These teams share a rich head-to-head history dating back to their Championship days. However, their last ten encounters have all been in the Premier League: four draws, five wins for Fulham, and one victory for Brighton – which came in their most recent clash.

Brighton & Hove Albion Team Overview

🔵 In the previous Premier League season, Brighton, led by 32-year-old Fabian Hurzeler, nearly matched their breakout 2022/23 campaign, where they accumulated 62 points and secured a spot in the Europa League. This time, they fell just one point and a couple of places short of European competition. Even a five-match unbeaten streak at the end of the season wasn't enough, only lifting them from 10th to 8th place. However, they extended this streak to 10 games during the off-season, remaining undefeated in five friendly matches, with just one draw.

📝 Over the summer, Albion lost their main striker, 23-year-old Brazilian Joao Pedro, who was bought by Chelsea for €63 million. Departures also included defenders Pervis Estupinan and Valentin Barco, as well as forwards Simon Adingra and Evan Ferguson (on loan to Roma). The club earned a total of €121.3 million from sales. The management spent slightly more than half of that on new acquisitions, with the oldest being 24-year-old Belgian defender Maxim De Kuyper, purchased from Brugge for €20 million. They paid twice as much for promising Olympiacos forward, 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas, who was also pursued by Manchester United and Arsenal.

Fulham Team Overview

⚪️ Portuguese manager Marco Silva is set to embark on his fifth season at the helm of Fulham. After clinching the Championship title in the 2021/22 season, the Cottagers have consistently hovered around the Premier League's top ten for three years. Their FA Cup run was also noteworthy, as they knocked out Manchester United and reached the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Crystal Palace (0-3). During the off-season, they played just three matches but against formidable opponents—securing victories over Nottingham Forest, Al-Ittihad, and Eintracht Frankfurt.

📝 On the transfer front, Fulham have been relatively quiet. The London club parted ways with veteran Brazilian forwards Carlos Vinícius and Willian on free transfers. They brought in 34-year-old Benjamin Lecomte from Montpellier for €500,000 as a backup goalkeeper. However, there is still time before the transfer window closes. Rumors link Fulham with Arsenal players Oleksandr Zinchenko and Reiss Nelson, who made 12 appearances in north-west London last season. The club also made an official bid for Shakhtar Donetsk's winger—22-year-old Brazilian Kevin, who scored four goals and provided two assists in three Europa League qualifying matches. However, the Ukrainian club rejected their €40 million offer, demanding €50 million instead—negotiations are ongoing.

Latest news

Brighton & Hove Albion

🎙 Rumors are swirling around another Brighton star, 21-year-old Carlos Baleba. Both Manchester clubs have shown interest, and Brighton have set a price tag of €120 million. Here's what head coach Fabian Hurzeler had to say when asked if he's worried about losing key players: "I have no fear. I'm not afraid of anything because the only thing we can do is strive to become the best version of ourselves every day, like working as hard as we can. Of course, we can't spend money like the big clubs do, but one of our core values is unity. And if we stick together, if we try to extend our capabilities and limits, I'm confident we can compete with the big teams."

❌ Brighton are dealing with knee injuries for three players: Solly March, Julio Enciso, and Adam Webster are sidelined for this reason. Carlos Baleba has also had knee issues, but Fabian Hurzeler has indicated that he will be back in action for the first round.

Fulham

🎙 Fulham's head coach Marco Silva has voiced his disappointment over the club's passive approach in the transfer market this summer: "We are indeed lacking players in certain positions and need to bring them in before the transfer window closes. This wasn't what we anticipated. We didn't expect to head into the season without acquiring at least one, two, or three players. We anticipated being far more active in terms of player recruitment. Unfortunately, they aren't here. It will only get worse if injuries occur."

❌ Antonee Robinson suffered a knee injury during preseason preparations, dealing a significant blow to the Cottagers' defensive line. However, this is where the visitors' losses end.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

⚽️ Goal Prediction

It's interesting to note that the Seagulls tend to score more often in the first half compared to the Cottagers. Brighton have found the net in the opening 45 minutes in 7 of their last 8 Premier League matches, while Fulham have conceded in the first half in 8 of their last 9 games, including 6 consecutive away fixtures. Let's take advantage of this trend and bet on a Brighton goal in the first half.

🚩 Corner Prediction

When it comes to average corners won over the last 10 Premier League matches, the teams are almost neck and neck—5.5 for Fulham against 5.3 for Brighton, with a slight edge to the Cottagers. Fulham maintain a similar frequency in head-to-head encounters with Brighton, delivering fewer than 5.5 corners in 7 of their last 8 Premier League meetings. The Seagulls have been even less frequent at the corner flag, with fewer than 4.5 corners in 7 of their last 8 home games. Some straightforward math leads us to choose a total corners under 10.5.

Bookmakers are giving more than double the odds in favor of the home side, which comes as a bit of a surprise. Yes, the Seagulls have been active in the transfer market, but Fulham showed during preseason that they can deliver results even without major signings, having defeated three strong opponents in succession. Considering the Cottagers' dominance in head-to-head matches, we believe they are capable of taking points from Falmer Stadium. We anticipate a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes and are backing Fulham not to lose.