Fresh from serving their former manager a slice of humble pie, Brighton & Hove Albion will aim to keep that momentum going against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday afternoon.
Roberto De Zerbi's men thumped Chelsea 4-1 in their most recent fixture, while the hosts played out a 1-1 draw with Brentford.
Match preview
© Reuters
Two stunning strikes and a red card for Diego Costa summed up an all-action battle between Brentford and Wolves last weekend, as Steve Davis's side came from behind to rescue a point at the Gtech Community Stadium.
An acrobatic effort from the most unlikely source in Ben Mee gave Brentford the lead before Wolves' chief goal threat Ruben Neves slotted home a clinical equalizer, and the former was involved in a last-gasp fracas with Costa, who moved his head towards the Bees defender and was sent off for his troubles.
To learn that Costa received his first-ever Premier League red card last weekend came as a surprise to some, but Davis was not interested to hear it as his side continue to languish in the relegation zone - currently in 19th place and two points adrift of safety.
If Wolves were already struggling for goals before luring Costa back to the Premier League, their attempts to increase a league-low tally of six goals have been done no favours by the Spaniard's sending off, but 19 conceded is the fewest out of the bottom seven teams.
A return to Molineux is just what the doctor ordered for Wolves as they aim to snap a three-game winless run, though, as they have only lost two of their seven encounters at home in all competitions this season, although the most recent one of those came in that 4-0 drubbing against Leicester City.
© Reuters
Not every Brighton supporter was happy to see Graham Potter back at the Amex as he sought to show his old employers what they were missing, but the home crowd left in extremely high spirits after watching the Seagulls demolish Chelsea last weekend.
Two own goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek contributed to the cause, while Leandro Trossard and Pascal Gross were also on target in a memorable 4-1 win for Brighton, who sure did pick an ideal time to end their five-game winless run.
Moreover, victory over Chelsea marked De Zerbi's first in the hotseat since taking the reins from Potter, having posted three defeats and two draws in his opening five games, and the Seagulls remain in European contention as a result - sitting eighth but just one point behind Fulham, who have played a game more.
Next on the agenda for De Zerbi is correcting a dismal run of away form that has seen Brighton lose three and draw one of their last four away matches - conceding at least two goals on each occasion - but should things go right for Brighton here, they could win three Premier League games by a three-goal margin or more for the first time ever.
The Seagulls swooped to see off Wolves 3-0 at Molineux last season, having failed to win in six Premier League games against the hosts before that, but it has been over 30 years since the South Coast side made it back-to-back wins on the Molineux turf.
Team News
© Reuters
Costa's red card for violent conduct has seen the striker incur a three-game suspension that will rule him out until after the World Cup, and with Sasa Kalajdzic and Raul Jimenez both still absent, either Goncalo Guedes or Hwang Hee-chan will come in to lead the line.
To make matters worse for Wolves, Matheus Nunes came off with a shoulder injury in the first half against Brentford, and he will need to be assessed ahead of this game. Joao Moutinho is on standby.
Tote Gomes could be eyeing a comeback this weekend, but Pedro Neto and Chiquinho also remain sidelined for the hosts, who should continue with the effervescent Hugo Bueno at left-back.
As for Brighton, Joel Veltman has a strong chance of recovering from a calf issue in time for the weekend, while Danny Welbeck has seen off the illness that forced him to miss the win over Chelsea.
Long-term knee victim Jakub Moder could therefore be the visitors' only absentee at Molineux, but De Zerbi will be loath to make any changes to the team from last weekend.
Trossard's strike versus Chelsea - his seventh of the season - made it five goals in six games for the Belgian under De Zerbi, and he can expect to line up at the tip of the attack once again.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Semedo, Kilman, Collins, Bueno; Nunes, Neves, B. Traore; A. Traore, Guedes, Podence
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Gross, Dunk, Webster, Estupinan; Caicedo, Mac Allister; March, Lallana, Mitoma; Trossard
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Costa was not exactly answering the call for Wolves' attacking crisis, but his suspension has only deepened Davis's woes in that area, and the hosts are arguably facing Brighton at the worst time.
With a near fully-fit squad and morale surely at its highest point of the season so far, we can only envisage the Seagulls ending their sticky patch on the road with a professional performance and three points to go with it.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
