Fresh from their second memorable victory over Liverpool in the space of a couple of weeks, Brighton & Hove Albion return to Premier League action with the visit of Bournemouth to the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Seagulls overcame Liverpool 2-1 in their FA Cup fourth-round contest last weekend, while Gary O'Neil's men ended their losing streak by holding Nottingham Forest to a 1-1 draw two weekends ago.
Match preview
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Japanese wing king Kaoru Mitoma will be living in the nightmares of Liverpool fans and players alike for weeks to come, as the Brighton attacker gave the Reds a torrid time in their FA Cup showdown and capped off another effervescent display with a sublime winner.
Harvey Elliott had broken the deadlock for the Merseyside giants in the first half, but Lewis Dunk - perhaps unknowingly - diverted Tariq Lamptey's volley into the back of Liverpool's net before Mitoma's delightful volley sealed Brighton's place in round five late on.
Having seen Leandro Trossard move to Arsenal and Moises Caicedo go public with his own desire to join him, Roberto De Zerbi did a magnificent job at ignoring the off-field distractions threatening to derail his team, who have four wins and a draw to show from their last five games in all tournaments.
The outlier in that sequence was a slightly disappointing 2-2 draw with Leicester City in their last Premier League game, but the goal-happy Seagulls remain firmly in European contention, sitting sixth in the table and five points behind Tottenham Hotspur, who have played two games more.
Dunk and Mitoma's strikes against Liverpool saw Brighton score at least two goals in a game for the seventh match running, and only Arsenal (28) and Manchester City (30) have scored more in the Premier League than Brighton's 26 under De Zerbi, and even a reinforced Bournemouth defence should not be expecting miracles on Saturday.
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When one thinks of a new owner splashing the cash in the January transfer window, Todd Boehly's spending spree at Chelsea will immediately come to mind, but Bill Foley also oversaw a wholly positive period of market activity at the Vitality Stadium as Bournemouth fight for survival.
The Cherries entered their showdown with Nottingham Forest two weekends ago on the back of six straight defeats, but they were agonisingly close to stealing all three points via Jaidon Anthony's opener before Sam Surridge came off the bench to net an 83rd-minute equaliser for the visitors.
No doubt viewing that stalemate as two points dropped rather than one point gained, Bournemouth are still dancing with the devil in 18th place in the rankings, but they are only adrift of Wolverhampton Wanderers courtesy of an inferior goal difference.
Furthermore, Leicester City, Leeds United and West Ham United are only one point better off than Bournemouth, but the Cherries' away form makes for grim reading, as they have lost each of their last six matches on the road while failing to score in each of their last four.
Brighton secured a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth during their most recent Amex showdown in the 2019-20 season before the Cherries won 2-0 at the Vitality, but most will be expecting the visitors' trip across the South Coast to be a miserable one this weekend.
Team News
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Brighton's cup win over Liverpool was marred by a serious-looking injury to teenage striker Evan Ferguson, who was the victim of a horror tackle from Fabinho that inexplicably only warranted a yellow card.
Ferguson was caught on his Achilles by Fabinho's studs and limped off the field, although the extent of his damage remains unclear, and De Zerbi is also without Jakub Moder, Levi Colwill, Adam Lallana and the suspended Alexis Mac Allister, but Facundo Buonanotte could be named on the bench.
With injuries now piling up, De Zerbi may be forced to consider a recall for Caicedo after the Ecuadorian's actions apparently led to a banishment from the training ground, but 19-year-old Swedish starlet Yasin Ayari - who may very well become Caicedo's successor - will hope for an immediate introduction to Premier League football after his winter arrival.
As for Bournemouth, O'Neil is still sweating on the fitness of no fewer than three players, with Marcus Tavernier, Philip Billing and Dominic Solanke all classed as doubtful for Saturday's showdown.
None of Ryan Fredericks, Junior Stanislas, David Brooks or Lewis Cook will return for the weekend, where new signings Hamed Traore, Antoine Semenyo, Matias Vina and Ilya Zabarnyi will all be in line to make their debuts.
O'Neil will be reluctant to disrupt the harmony too much after a well-earned point against Forest, but Vina and Traore in particular should feel confident of immediately coming into the first XI.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Lamptey, Dunk, Webster, Estupinan; Caicedo, Gilmour; March, Gross, Mitoma; Welbeck
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Smith, Stephens, Kelly, Vina; Lerma, Rothwell; Anthony, Traore, Ouattara; Moore
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Bournemouth
Bournemouth may have made some eye-catching additions over the winter, but there will be no quick fix for O'Neil's side, who have been nothing short of dreadful offensively and defensively away from home.
With injuries and suspensions to factor in, Brighton should not be expected to carve their visitors open at will, but De Zerbi's side have already overcome plenty of adversity in 2023 and ought to put another three points on the board in routine fashion.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
