Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Burnley to the Amex Stadium this Saturday as both sides look to return to winning ways following the international break.
The home side, having narrowly escaped relegation last season, will be aware of the importance of picking up points at home - especially against teams also battling in the bottom half of the table.
Match preview
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Brighton's safety in the Premier League last season was only confirmed during the penultimate round of fixtures, with the club's total of 36 points from 38 games prompting the board to part ways with Chris Hughton, who had been at the helm since 2014.
For a team fighting to stay alive, stability and consistency of performance is the most crucial thing, but the Seagulls under Graham Potter have been wildly unpredictable throughout the first month of the 2019-20 campaign.
A remarkable 3-0 win away at Watford kickstarted their season ahead of a frustrating home draw with West Ham United, which was followed by a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Southampton during which Florin Andone was sent off after 30 minutes.
While overall performances remain a concern for Potter, the new manager will be pleased with the progress of his most expensive addition, Neal Maupay, who he brought with him from Brentford over the summer after the Frenchman scored 25 goals in the Championship last season.
The front three of Maupay, Andone and Leandro Trossard, began the season brightly, but Andone has since been sent out on loan for the season following his red card before the international break.
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Both sides were on the verge of a heavy beating last time out, with Brighton falling 4-0 to Manchester City and Burnley losing 3-0 at home to Liverpool, but you could argue that the latter will be less concerned having enjoyed a more predictable start to their season.
Now in their fourth successive season in the top flight, this Burnley team under Sean Dyche possesses a level of pedigree and collective knowhow to compliment their unwavering discipline. They can boast an air of assurance that this Brighton team under new leadership perhaps lacks to a certain extent.
Like Brighton, the Clarets kicked off their campaign with a 3-0 win, at home to Southampton, before demonstrating impressive sharpness to create a number of good chances away at Arsenal, who had to dig deep to claim a 2-1 win on a day when the visitors could have snatched a point.
Just as encouraging was a 1-1 draw away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team playing in Europe this season, during which Dyche's men fought with the same intensity as Nuno Espirito Santo's side and demonstrated to the division that, following their own foray into Europe last season, their capacity to claim results away from home has improved since they were promoted in 2016.
Ashley Barnes, who has 13 goals in this calendar year, will be central to Burnley's hopes of an away win alongside exciting young winger Dwight McNeil, whose performances have caught the eye so far this term.
Brighton and Hove Albion form: WDLL
Burnley form: WLDL
Team news
Potter has noted that he does not expect right-back Ezequiel Schelotto to return from a knee injury in time for this game, but did suggest that Yves Bissouma would come back into the fold having picked up a shoulder injury last month.
One big miss for Brighton will be Trossard, who strained his groin in training and is expected to miss most of September, which perhaps paves the way for Alireza Jahanbakhsh to make a rare appearance after Jurgen Locadia was sent out on loan.
For Burnley, Dyche will have to make a late decision over Johann Berg Gudmundsson after the 28-year-old missed the international break with a calf problem.
Danny Drinkwater, who has struggled with an ankle injury since pre-season, is the only player ruled out for the game, while McNeil and Robbie Brady are minor doubts.
Brighton possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Burn, Dunk, Webster; Gross, Propper, Stephens, Montoya; Jahanbakhsh, Maupay, March
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters; Lennon, Westwood, Cork, Hendrick; Barnes, Wood
We say: Brighton 0-1 Burnley
Expect to see a cagey affair, with neither teams wanting to pick up another defeat straight after the international break.
The contest is likely to be decided by who makes fewer critical mistakes and, based on the first four games, you have to admit that Burnley look more settled, which is why they are backed to edge out a narrow away win.
Leo Nieboer
