Wolverhampton Wanderers will continue their pursuit of fourth-placed Chelsea when they travel to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side are currently fifth in the table with 23 points, while Brighton's 2-1 win at Arsenal on Thursday night saw them move into 13th spot ahead of this weekend's fixtures.
Match preview
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Brighton entered Thursday's clash with Arsenal off the back of three straight Premier League defeats to Manchester United, Leicester City and Liverpool, which had just seen them start to slide down the table.
The Seagulls responded in hugely positive fashion at the Emirates Stadium, though, as they recorded a 2-1 victory courtesy of a goal from Neal Maupay in the 80th minute of the contest.
Graham Potter's side sit 13th in the table on 18 points, four points clear of the relegation zone. They are only three points off sixth, though, which is an indication of the type of season it has been across the board thus far.
Brighton have just come through a very tough run of fixtures, but it is not as if their schedule gets easier as they have to face Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur away before the end of the year. The team have impressed many with their football this season, though, and are not seen as genuine candidates for the drop.
The Seagulls ran out 1-0 winners in the corresponding Premier League clash last season, while they have only lost one of their last 10 meetings with Wolves in all competitions.
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Wolves are enjoying another terrific campaign, particularly when considering that their season started at the end of July in the Europa League. Nuno's side have played an awful lot of football this term but continue to go from strength to strength since being promoted back to the top tier.
They have booked their spot in the knockout round of the Europa League with one match to spare, meaning that their full focus will now be on the league, where positive results continue to arrive.
Wednesday's 2-0 win over West Ham United was Wolves's third victory in their last four league outings, while they have not been beaten in England's top flight since the middle of September.
Five wins, eight draws and two defeats - that is how Wolves have performed in the Premier League this term. Only Liverpool have lost fewer matches, while they are currently fifth in the table, just six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea heading into this weekend's fixtures.
It remains to be seen whether Nuno's side are capable of launching a serious challenge for the top four, but a squad packed full of talent and experience continues to impress at the highest level.
Brighton & Hove Albion form: WWLLLW
Wolverhampton Wanderers form: DDWWDW
Team News
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Solly March and Jose Izquierdo remain on the sidelines for Brighton. Head coach Potter has no injury concerns from the side that featured against Arsenal on Thursday night, though, and it would not be a surprise to see alterations with Martin Montoya pushing for a spot at right-back.
Shane Duffy and Leandro Trossard also appeared as substitutes at the Emirates Stadium and will be pushing for starts, although Glenn Murray is likely to remain on the bench.
Aaron Connolly and Maupay could again start in the final third with Pascal Gross in the hole behind, while Dan Burn's impressive outing against the Gunners should see him keep his spot at left-back.
As for Wolves, key centre-back Willy Boly and young forward Morgan Gibbs-White remain unavailable for selection. Nuno otherwise has a fully-fit squad to choose from, though, and there are not expected to be many surprises.
Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota are likely to continue as the front three, while Leander Dendoncker could keep his spot in central defence alongside Romain Saiss and Conor Coady.
Patrick Cutrone scored off the bench against West Ham during the week, although the Italian is again expected to be named among the substitutes alongside Pedro Neto.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup: Ryan; Montoya, Webster, Dunk, Burn; Mooy, Stephens, Propper; Gross; Maupay, Connolly
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup: Patricio; Dendoncker, Coady, Saiss; Doherty, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny; Traore, Jimenez, Jota
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Both teams will enter the match off the back of positive results during the week, and it should be an open and entertaining contest on Sunday afternoon. We fancy a score draw at the Amex Stadium, which would not be the worst result in the world for either side.
Matt Law
