Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Nottingham Forest - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by three places in the Premier League table, Brighton & Hove Albion welcome 17th-placed Nottingham Forest to the Amex in Sunday’s 28th round.

The Seagulls are aiming for back-to-back league wins for the first time since November and can earn their ninth top-flight victory of the season, while pushing Forest closer to the relegation zone, by taking all three points.

Match preview

On a day that James Milner made Premier League history by becoming the player with the outright most appearances in the competition’s history, Brighton stunned Brentford 2-0 in West London to claim their eighth top-flight victory.

That triumph came after a six-match wait for maximum points following their 2-0 win over second-bottom Burnley at the start of January, a result that ended a previous spell of six games without victory.

With just one win in 13 before Sunday’s success at the Gtech Community Stadium, the Seagulls were outsiders to be dragged into the relegation conversation; however, Diego Gomez and Danny Welbeck’s goals saw Fabian Hurzeler’s men stay nine points clear of the bottom three.

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Now, they chase what could be their ninth league win of the season to all but secure their top-flight status for another year, barring a subsequent collapse on their part and the teams beneath them hitting a rich vein of form in the closing rounds of the campaign.

However, a team that have claimed consecutive wins just once all season, having not done so since November’s victories over Brentford and Forest, will hope for a repeat of those reverse fixtures by getting the better of this weekend’s visitors.

Despite Brighton’s indifferent form, that outcome is likely, considering Forest’s scoring challenges in the top flight since Lorenzo Lucca netted in a 3-1 defeat by Leeds United at Elland Road.

The Tricky Trees have attempted 56 shots at goal, accumulating an expected goals (xG) of 3.86 in that time, without finding the net.

It probably explains why new boss Vitor Pereira was incandescent after Alexis Mac Allister’s 97th-minute winning goal for Liverpool at the City Ground in the previous round.

That loss and West Ham United’s draw with Bournemouth mean Forest are now just two points clear of the 18th-placed Hammers heading into this weekend.

The upshot of gameweek 27’s results is that the side in 17th could end this weekend in the bottom three if they fall to a 15th top-flight defeat on Sunday and West Ham shock Champions League-chasing Liverpool at Anfield.

With that match on Merseyside to be played 24 hours earlier, Pereira, whose team avoided a Fenerbahce scare on Thursday to progress to the Europa League last 16, could enter their fixture with the pressure truly on if the Hammers win or with their anxiety lifted if the Londoners fall at the home of the outgoing champions.

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:

Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):

Nottingham Forest Premier League form:

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

Team News

Although Milner was forced off late on against Brentford with a suspected thigh injury, the veteran midfielder has been passed fit for selection on Sunday.

However, Solly March (knee) and Yasin Ayari (shoulder) face late fitness tests while Adam Webster (knee) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee) are definitely ruled out.

Having ended his seven-match Premier League drought at Brentford, Welbeck could score his 10th league goal this weekend, thus matching last season’s career high.

The 35-year-old could become the first man aged 33 or older since Jamie Vardy in 2020-21 and 2021-22 to score 10 goals or more in consecutive seasons.

With Chris Wood (knee) absent since November, Forest have had to rely on Morgan Gibbs-White for goals, and the attacking midfielder aims to add to his six-goal tally at the Amex.

Interestingly, Igor Jesus has been unable to replicate his Europa League form domestically, scoring seven and two respectively, even if both goals in the top flight have been game-clinching efforts, one fewer than Gibbs-White’s three match-winning strikes.

Apart from Wood, Forest have a few other players struggling with knee injuries, with John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly all dealing with such issues, while Matz Sels is nearing a return following a groin problem.

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Hinshelwood, Baleba, Gross; Gomez, Welbeck, Mitoma

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus

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We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Nottingham Forest

Brighton’s last three Premier League wins have come on the back of clean sheets in each one, including the reverse fixture against Forest in late November.

While the away side are backed to find some good fortune in front of goal this weekend, the fatigue factor after European action and Welbeck’s pursuit of a landmark goal could be the catalysts that break the Tricky Trees’ resolve.

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