Burnley vs Brighton & Hove Albion: Preview and Prediction

Burnley must start adding wins to their record if they are to have a slim chance of fighting for survival as they host Brighton & Hove Albion at Turf Moor.

Some neutrals might see the topsy-turvy nature of the Premier League relegation battle, especially with the deducted points for Everton and Nottingham Forest, and feel Burnley might have missed a trick as they get set to take on Brighton & Hove Albion. The Clarets are still languishing in 19th Place and in real danger of dropping back to the Championship for next season.

Yet, they still have a slight chance to fight back and make the last seven games of the season count. Vincent Kompany’s side has certainly improved their form of late, but it has resulted in only one win, which came at home against Brentford.

Last weekend, they went down to ten men, and a horrendous goalkeeping error allowed Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin to capitalise and score a fortunate goal to seal three points. Between that and the Brentford win, Burnley secured two draws against Chelsea and Wolves, which has given them a chance to make a late push for survival.

In terms of the relegation zone, Sheffield is the clear-cut favourite to go down, while Burnley is next in line. There’s still a six-point gap for the Clarets to cover over 18th-placed Luton Town, who are incidentally level on points with Nottingham Forest in 17th. Hence, there’s a chance for Kompany’s men to find a way out of this rut, although it does seem like a difficult one on paper.

Their visitors, Brighton, still harbour ambitions about a European finish, although they are currently far off from the last continental place on the table. Last weekend, Robert De Zerbi’s side lost for the first time at home since the early part of the season, with Arsenal handing them a stern lesson in how to play with command and control.

Brighton are still five points off West Ham United in seventh, but they have a game in hand over the Hammers. They must start improving their form and put in a concerted effort to take the team over the line to still have the only chance to make it back into Europe, although a place in the Europa League spots might still seem difficult for the Seagulls.

Team News & Tactics

Burnley

Kompany would have really hoped to have a full-strength squad at his disposal during this late run-in, but unfortunately, he continues to miss out on a host of players. Aaron Ramsey, Nathan Redmond, Luca Koleosho, Jordan Beyer, Ameen Al-Dakhil, and Han-Noah Massengo are all absent from proceedings.

Additionally, Dara O’Shea is suspended for his red card against Everton, meaning Hannes Delcroix is the ideal replacement in the lineup.

Kompany might also make some changes from the last game, with David Datro Fofana one of those eager to stake a claim in the attacking third. At the same time, the manager is likely to keep hold of teenager Wilson Odobert in his lineup.

Sander Berge and Josh Cullen are primed for midfield positions, with Jacob Brunn Larsen and Lyle Foster in for the wide areas. Fofana and Odobet will line up in the front two.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton are also without a host of their critical stars. Solly March, Jack Hinshelwood, Kaoru Mitoma, Billy Gilmour, and James Milner are all still injured, while Adam Webster and Evan Ferguson remain fitness doubts. De Zerbi might not make too many tweaks despite losing to Arsenal last weekend.

The one change he might see for the weekend would be the re-introduction of Joao Pedro in the attacking third.

Pascal Gross and Carlos Baleba are pencilled in to keep starting in their midfield positions, while Jan Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk are Brighton’s best centre-back pairing.

De Zerbi might continue to use attacking full-backs Tariq Lamptey and Pervis Estupinan in the wide areas. Julio Enciso did impress in moments against Arsenal, while Simon Adingra could keep his place in the wide areas. Danny Welbeck is the main man who leads the line for the Seagulls.