Following the introduction of several Premier League sides into the EFL Cup in the second round, Brighton & Hove Albion begin their campaign with a trip to South Wales to take on Championship outfit Cardiff City.
The hosts progressed through the first round with a 3-2 win over Sutton United, while both have had positive starts to their respective league seasons.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following a strong finish to last season under Mick McCarthy, eventually finishing in eighth spot, Cardiff City will have headed into the new season with confidence, and they earned a commendable point on the opening day with a 1-1 draw against an exciting Barnsley side.
The Bluebirds then took on League Two outfit Sutton United on home turf in the first round of this year's EFL Cup, and they worryingly went behind inside the first five minutes as Donovan Wilson hit an early goal for the visitors.
McCarthy's men quickly took control though, with a Marley Watkins brace putting them ahead early in the second half before Josh Murphy seemingly put the game out of sight with a late goal, only for a 90th-minute Coby Rowe finish to force them to grind out a narrow win.
Since that victory, the Welsh outfit have built a relatively strong start to the league season, comfortably defeating Blackpool 2-0 away from home before a late Aden Flint brace, including a 96th-minute equaliser, saw them snatch a point from the jaws of defeat having trailed 2-0 away at Peterborough United.
Last time out, they took their tally to eight points from the opening four games with a 3-1 home win over Millwall, as centre-back Flint again found the net twice before fellow defender Sean Morrison added a third in the final 10 minutes to seal three important points.
They will now look to continue their unbeaten start to the season when they face the tough test of a clash against Premier League opposition, as Brighton arrive in Wales on the back of consecutive Premier League wins.
© Reuters
Graham Potter's men went behind early in their opening game of the season when they took on Burnley away from home, as James Tarkowski put the Clarets ahead after just two minutes, but the Seagulls defied the odds to come back against a side renowned for their defensive discipline on home turf.
It took until deep into the second half, but Neal Maupay eventually drew the visitors level in the 73rd minute, before Alexis Mac Allister netted the winning goal five minutes later.
They then played host to newly-promoted Watford last time out, and they got off to a strong start in their bid to make it two wins from two, as Shane Duffy headed in the opener after 10 minutes.
Maupay then hit his second of the season to double their lead on the stroke of half time, and Potter's men went on to hold out for a dominant win to seal their best start to a top-flight campaign in history.
They will now look to build confidence with a third straight win to kick off the season before they return to league action with a tough schedule.
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
McCarthy deployed the majority of his first-team players in the first round of this year's EFL Cup, and he is expected to field a similar side on Tuesday with star forward Kieffer Moore set to lead the line.
Despite struggling to break into the league side so far, Marley Watkins impressed with a brace in the win over Sutton United, and he will be given another opportunity.
Further back, Flint and Morrison should continue to feature in a back three, with Curtis Nelson expected to complete the back line as Ciaron Brown remains out of action through injury.
Potter should give starting spots to several players who have struggled to break into the Brighton XI so far this season, with midfielder Enock Mwepu expected to make his first start for the club after arriving from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer.
Aaron Connolly and Jakub Moder are also expected to come into the side, while 19-year-old midfielder Moises Caicedo could also be handed a start.
Young defender Haydon Roberts was named in a Premier League squad for the first time at the weekend, and he should come in to relieve one of their established centre-backs.
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Smithies; Flint, Morrison, Nelson; Sang, Wintle, Vaulks, Davies; Watkins, Moore, Murphy
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Roberts, Dunk, Webster; Gross, Moder, Mwepu, Caicedo, March; Connolly, Zeqiri
We say: Cardiff City 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
While both sides have had strong starts to the season, Brighton's sights may be more firmly set on the Premier League, and with a rotated side, they could be caught off guard by a talented and physical Cardiff outfit.
The hosts will be keen to continue their unbeaten run by claiming a top-flight scalp, and we fancy them to cause somewhat of an upset.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Brighton & Hove Albion win with a probability of 43.31%. A win for Cardiff City had a probability of 30.98% and a draw had a probability of 25.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Brighton & Hove Albion win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.15%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.97%) and 0-2 (7.46%). The likeliest Cardiff City win was 1-0 (8.31%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.21%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 7.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Brighton & Hove Albion would win this match.
