Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Everton - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams separated by just three points in the Premier League table meet at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon, as Brighton & Hove Albion play host to Everton.

While the Seagulls currently sit 12th and need a win to climb back into the top half of the table, the Toffees occupy 10th position and are eyeing up the European places.

Match preview

Brighton have posted seven wins, nine draws and seven defeats in 23 Premier League matches this season and since the start of December, only Burnley (five) and Wolves (six) have earned fewer points than the Seagulls (eight), who have won just once in 10 league games in this period (D5 L4).

Fabian Hurzeler’s side began 2026 with a 2-0 home victory over Burnley, but that has been followed by a back-to-back 1-1 draws with Man City and Bournemouth and then a 2-1 defeat at Fulham last weekend, letting a one-goal lead slip and conceding a 92nd-minute goal at Craven Cottage.

Brighton have conceded 55% of their Premier League goals this season in the first half of matches (17/31), the highest share in the division, while the Seagulls have been behind at half time more often than any other team this term (12), something Hurzeler will be keen to rectify in the coming weeks.

A return to the Amex this weekend will be welcomed by Brighton, who have accumulated 20 of their 30 Premier League points on home soil this season, losing only one of their 11 matches in front of their own fans (W5 D5) - a 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa in early December.

However, success is not a given against Everton, as the Seagulls are winless in their last five home league encounters with the Toffees (D2 L3) since a 3-2 victory in October 2019.

Everton find themselves in an inconsistent vein of form at present, as they have won two, drawn three and lost three of their last eight Premier League matches, with an impressive 1-0 victory at Aston Villa followed by a frustrating 1-1 home draw with Leeds on Monday.

Only Sunderland’s Premier League matches have seen fewer goals (50) than Everton’s so far this season (51 goals - 25 for, 26 against), while the Toffees have scored the fewest goals of any team currently sitting in the top half of the table after 23 games played.

Despite that, David Moyes’s side remain in a fairly strong position to challenge for the European places, as they are only three points behind Merseyside rivals Liverpool in sixth spot and five points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who will face the Toffees in three weeks’ time.

Everton have been stronger away from home in recent weeks, especially from a defensive perspective, as they have kept five clean sheets in their last six Premier League matches on the road (W4 D1 L1), including their last three in a row; they last kept four successive away shutouts in April/May 2021, while they last won three on the bounce without conceding in December 2008.

After securing a 2-0 victory against Brighton in their first Premier League home match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in August, Everton head into Saturday’s contest looking to complete the league double over the Seagulls for just the second time in their history after the 1980-81 campaign.

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:

Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):

Everton Premier League form:

Everton form (all competitions):

Team News

Brighton trio Solly March, Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas remain sidelined with long-term knee injuries, while Mats Wieffer (toe) and Brajan Gruda (unspecified) are both doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

Olivier Boscagli was handed a rare start at left-back last time out, but Maxim De Cuyper could be recalled against Everton, while Ferdi Kadioglu, Joel Veltman and Wieffer - if fit - battle for a start at right-back.

Georginio Rutter and Yankuba Minteh could both return in the final third to link up with Kaoru Mitoma, while Danny Welbeck is likely to continue up front – against no side has Welbeck been involved in more PL goals than he has against Everton (10 - five goals, five assists).

As for Everton, Jack Grealish is in danger of missing the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his foot, while Tim Iroegbunam has missed the last three games with an unspecified knock and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

Moyes will be able to welcome back Michael Keane from a three-match ban and he is expected to slot straight back into the heart of the defence alongside James Tarkowski, with Jake O’Brien moving over to right-back and Nathan Patterson dropping down to the bench.

Jarrad Branthwaite could soon force his way back into the first XI, but Moyes is expected to gradually ease the defender into the first-team fold following a lengthy injury layoff. The same could be said for midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeill are the most likely duo to begin on the flanks, while in-form Thierno Barry, who has scored four goals in his last five Premier League games, is set to continue up front, with Beto providing cover as a substitute.

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Kadioglu, Dunk, Van Hecke, De Cuyper; Ayari, Gross; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Ndiaye, Armstrong, McNeil; Barry

We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Everton

Only three of the last 16 Premier League meetings between Brighton and Everton have ended as a draw (five Brighton wins, eight Everton wins), but we can envisage a closely-contested battle being played out on this occasion.

The Toffees have been involved in several low-scoring matches this term and they may find a way to frustrated the Seagulls en route to claiming a share of the spoils.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.