West Bromwich Albion make the trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday evening still looking for their first Premier League win of the season.
However, the home side hold just a two-point advantage over the Baggies after also losing three of their opening five games of the campaign.
Match preview
© Reuters
Having kept a clean sheet against Burnley on Monday evening, West Brom boss Slaven Bilic will be optimistic that his side are starting to improve at the back after previously conceding 13 times in just four outings.
However, failing to defeat their struggling opponents at The Hawthorns represented a missed opportunity for the West Midlands outfit, who need to end their winless streak as soon as possible.
Although West Brom remain outside of the relegation zone courtesy of three other teams also failing to win any of their opening games, defeat in their next contest would see Bilic's side cut adrift from 16th place.
That is something which the Croatian will want to avoid at this stage of the season, especially ahead of the visit to Fulham in seven days time.
More consistency may be achieved once a regular XI is selected with Bilic having already used 22 players during the club's opening five matches back in the top flight.
Given the business which they conducted in the summer, Graham Potter will be somewhat disappointed with Brighton's start to the season.
With games having already taken place against Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton, there is an argument that the Seagulls were presented with the toughest start of the 20 clubs in the division.
Nevertheless, their efforts in the final third have been undermined by shipping 11 goals at the other end, six of which have come in two home encounters.
Potter is likely to persevere with a style of play which is easy on the eye, but ambitions of breaking into the top 10 will not be achieved unless they tighten things up at the back.
Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form: LWLLD
Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions): WWLLLD
West Bromwich Albion Premier League form: LLDLD
West Bromwich Albion form (all competitions): WLDDLD
Team News
© Reuters
Brighton will be without centre-back Lewis Dunk, who starts a suspension after his dismissal against Crystal Palace.
Despite his arrival on a free transfer, Danny Welbeck is unlikely to be provided with a starting role until he has built up his match fitness.
While Alexis Mac Allister is pushing for an opportunity in the first XI, Adam Lallana should get the nod over the Argentine.
Bilic may have stuck with the same side which began their goalless draw with Burnley had Ahmed Hegazi not departed The Hawthorns.
Kyle Bartley should come into the backline, while Callum Robinson will hope for a recall in attack after Karlan Grant failed to net on his debut.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Webster, White, Burn; Lamptey, Bissouma, Alzate, March; Lallana, Trossard; Maupay
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Furlong, Ivanovic, Bartley, Townsend; Livermore, Gallagher, Krovinovic; Pereira, Robinson, Diangana
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 West Bromwich Albion
With neither club looking great in defence this season, there should be plenty of goals at the Amex Stadium. While we do not expect Brighton to keep their first home clean sheet of the season, the Seagulls should have enough quality in the final third to sweep past the visitors.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data
Darren Plant
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 West Bromwich Albion win with a probability of 40.33%. A win for Brighton & Hove Albion had a probability of 31.62% and a draw had a probability of 28%.
The most likely scoreline for a West Bromwich Albion win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.22%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.22%) and 0-2 (7.65%). The likeliest Brighton & Hove Albion win was 1-0 (10.49%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.13%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.1% likelihood.
