Preview: FK Baumit Jablonec vs Brighton & Hove Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Brighton & Hove Albion will endeavour to build on their strong start to the campaign when they travel to Czechia to face FK Baumit Jablonec in the Conference League on Thursday night.

This contest at Stadion Strelnice see two teams butt heads after contrasting results on matchday one, with the Seagulls collecting maximum points against FK Kauno Zalgiris and The Green-Whites losing to Freiburg.

Match preview

Brighton continue to go from strength to strength under head coach Fabian Hurzeler and are enjoying their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign, accumulating 16 points and scoring a division-high 23 goals across their opening seven games.

The Seagulls recorded their biggest win over M23 rivals Crystal Palace since 1956 when they put the Eagles to the sword 5-0 at the Amex Stadium on Sunday, consolidating third place in the Premier League table and enhancing their credentials as potential dark horses for the title.

Hurzeler is keen to remain “humble”, though, insisting that his Brighton side “can't be satisfied” just yet, as they seek to improve on their eighth-placed finish from last season while juggling their Conference League duties in a competition they are listed as the bookmakers’ favourites to win.

Brighton already sit pretty at the top of the 36-team League Phase standings, albeit after one game, after they secured a convincing 4-0 home win over Lithuanian outfit FK Kauno Zalgiris last week – the Seagulls have now scored at least three goals in eight games already across all competitions this term.

Aiming to win four consecutive away matches for the first time since April 2016, Brighton have prevailed in six of their last seven fixtures in European competition (L1) and have kept a clean sheet in each victory; their solitary defeat during this run came against Roma (4-0) in the 2023-24 Europa League.

Competing in the Conference League for the first time since 2021-22, FK Baumit Jablonec put up an admirable fight but ultimately suffered a 3-2 away defeat to last season’s Europa League finalists Freiburg in their opening League Phase fixture last week.

Securing “seven points” is the aim for head coach Lubos Kozel, who is hoping to steer the Green-Whites into the top 24 to secure at least a playoff qualification route, with the ultimate goal of progressing through the knockout rounds for the first time in the club's history.

A “beautiful game” against Premier League opposition is up next for Jablonec, who finished fourth in the Czech First League last season and have since made an inconsistent start to the new campaign, sitting seventh after posting five wins, two draws and four defeats from their first 11 games.

Jablonec have won only two of their last six matches across all competitions (D1 L3) and were most recently beaten 3-2 at home by Viktoria Plzen last Sunday; they were trailing 3-0 before a strike from Dusan Pavlovic and an own goal teased a second-half fightback that ultimately failed to transpire.

The Green-Whites should welcome a return to Stadion Strelnice on Thursday, as they won all three home Conference League qualifiers without reply earlier this year and boast a seven-game unbeaten home run in European competitions (W5 D2).

FK Baumit Jablonec Conference League form:

FK Baumit Jablonec form (all competitions):

Brighton & Hove Albion Conference League form:

Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):

Team News

FK Baumit Jablonec duo Kevin-Prince Milla and Krystof Karban remain long-term injury absentees, while Lamin Jawo missed the league loss to Plzen last time out due to injury and has emerged as a doubt.

Right-back Martin Cedidla has scored a team-high four non-penalties goals this term and is expected to continue in a four-man defence alongside captain Nemanja Tekijaski, Dusan Pavlovic and Jiri Slama.

Matej Polidar will hope to replace ex-Newcastle youngster Garang Kuol on the left flank and join Vakhtang Chanturishvili and Antonin Rusek in a three-man attack.

As for Brighton, Evan Ferguson (ankle), Stefanos Tzimas (knee), Kaoru Mitoma (thigh), Femi Azeez (thigh) and Zadok Yohanna (knock) all remain sidelined with injuries.

Thursday’s contest is also set to come too soon for Pascal Struijk (thigh), Mats Wieffer (knee) and Yankuba Minteh (ankle), the latter of whom is yet to play for the Seagulls this season but is edging closer to a return.

Hurzeler is likely to freshen up his starting lineup, with Costinha, Michael Svoboda, Jack Hinshelwood, Matt O'Riley, Ibrahim Osman and Georginio Rutter – who scored twice on matchday one – among those pushing to earn a recall.

FK Baumit Jablonec possible starting lineup:

Hanus; Cedidla, Tekijaski, Pavlovic, Slama; Okeke, Sedlacek; Polidar, Alioum, Tchanturishvili; Rusek

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Costinha, Svoboda, Dunk, Boscagli; Gross, O’Riley; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Osman; Rutter

We say: FK Baumit Jablonec 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

Following a spirited display in Freiburg, Jablonec cannot be underestimated against Brighton, but the Seagulls will still be regarded as favourites to win the first of their five successive away games in all competitions over a 16-day period.

Even if Hurzeler rotates his team, Brighton have shown that they are not solely reliant on one goalscorer – 11 different Seagulls stars have scored this term – and they should ultimately have enough quality to claim a routine win in Czechia.

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