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

Burnley will hope victory against hosts Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday can reignite their quest for Premier League survival.

The Seagulls were held to a frustrating 2-2 stalemate when they faced West Ham United on Tuesday, and they enter the weekend's clash in 14th place with 25 points, whereas the visitors are 19th with just 12 points following their 3-1 loss against Newcastle United on December 30.

Match preview

Brighton will regret that they failed to take advantage of a struggling West Ham team, especially as striker Danny Welbeck missed a second penalty before half time.

That draw was the sixth time in a row that they failed to win, with the club alternating between stalemates and defeats.

Manager Fabian Hurzeler's side have conceded 11 goals in their past six matches, whereas they had only conceded 10 goals in their prior 10 outings.

It should be noted that 20 of Brighton's 28 league goals have come after the half-time interval, and they have blanked in two of their last five games, scoring just four times in those clashes.

The Seagulls may have been held to draws in their last two at the Amex, while also losing their prior match at the ground, but they have only suffered one loss at the stadium in their nine home fixtures.

Burnley will be disappointed that they failed to take anything from their clash with Newcastle considering most of the big chances they faced came in the opening 30 minutes, and they were on top for much of the remaining hour.

The Clarets are six points from 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, though while that gap is not insurmountable, the club have only collected two points from their past 10 games.

Scott Parker did oversee two stalemates in his side's three most recent fixtures, but they have continued to display vulnerabilities at the back, conceding at least two goals in seven of their last 10 matches.

Should Burnley avoid defeat on the weekend, their unbeaten streak against the Seagulls will be extended to four games, and a draw would be their third in three meetings.

The visitors have not fared well on the road given they have lost seven of their nine Premier League contests, taking three points just once.

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:

Burnley Premier League form:

Team News

James Milner started in midfield against West Ham, but given he will be 40 in January, fans should not expect to see him start twice in the span of four days.

Jack Hinshelwood could come into the XI in place of Milner, particularly as Carlos Baleba is away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

It would be surprising if winger Yankuba Minteh was ready to feature on Saturday after being forced off against West Ham due to a thigh injury, so expect Brajan Gruda to fill on on the right flank.

Burnley are dealing with numerous absentees, with the latest being centre-back Maxime Esteve, who was substituted off against Newcastle.

Bashir Humphreys may be selected on the left of a back three in his place, and with Axel Tuanzebe also ruled out due to AFCON, perhaps Josh Laurent and Hjalmar Ekdal will also play in defence.

With midfielder Hannibal Mejbri unavailable due to international commitments, Florentino Luis and Lesley Ugochukwu are likely to partner each other in a double pivot.

Striker Armando Broja could be supported by wingers Marcus Edwards and Loum Tchaouna.

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Ayari, Hinshelwood; Gruda, Gomez, De Cuyper; Welbeck

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Laurent, Ekdal, Humphreys; Walker, Ugochukwu, Luis, Pires; Edwards, Broja, Tchaouna