Burnley have not won their last five Premier League matches, and they have lost three of their four most recent outings ahead of the game vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. It remains to be seen whether the players can step up and deliver a strong performance here.
On the other hand, Brighton beat Liverpool in their last outing, and they will be full of confidence. They have picked up four wins from the last five Premier League matches. The Seagulls are pushing for a place in the top half, and they should be winning these games.
Burnley have been one of the worst teams this season, and Brighton will not want to drop points here. On paper, Fabian Hurzeler’s charges are a better team, and it remains to be seen whether they put on a strong performance. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
The home team will be without Zeki Amdouni (knee), Connor Roberts (Achilles), Axel Tuanzabe (calf), Hannibal Mejbri (thigh), Mike Tresor (ankle), and Jordan Beyer (hamstring). Josh Cullen is out for the season with ACL damage. Meanwhile, Josh Laurent is suspended.
Burnley will shape up in the 3-4-3 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion, with Martin Dubravka in goal. In the back three, Kyle Walker will start alongside Maxime Esteve and Joe Worrall. Oliver Sonne and Quilindschy Hartman will start in the wing-back roles. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
As for the midfield unit, Florentino Luis will start alongside James Ward-Prowse in the middle of the park. The two players will look to keep things tight in the middle and protect the defensive unit.
Finally, Zian Flemming will lead the line for Burnley vs Brighton & Hove Albion, with Jacob Brun Larsen and Jaidon Anthony on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Dubravka; Walker, Worrall, Esteve; Sonne, Florentino Luis, Ward-Prowse, Hartman; Larsen, Flemming, Anthony
Fabian Hurzeler will be without Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas this weekend due to their knee injuries. Meanwhile, Lewis Dunk will miss out due to a suspension. Brighton & Hove Albion are likely to shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation vs Burnley, with Bart Verbruggen in goal.
Joel Veltman and Ferdi Kadioglu will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and help out in the final third. Jan Paul van Hecke and Olivier Boscagli will form the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, James Milner and Carlos Baleba will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Georginio Rutter will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to help create opportunities in the final third.
Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma will start on the flanks. They will look to add pace and unpredictability to the attack. Finally, Danny Welbeck will lead the line for Brighton & Hove Albion vs Burnley on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Milner, Baleba; Mitoma, Rutter, Minteh; Welbeck
The Brighton & Hove Albion striker is in impressive form this season and will look to continue in that vein. The Englishman will look to find the back of the net here and open up opportunities for his teammates with his link-up play.
Welbeck’s brace against Liverpool last time out took his Premier League tally to 12 this season; only Glenn Murray has scored for Brighton & Hove Albion in a season in the competition (13 in 2018/19).
Welbeck is full of confidence right now, and he could cause all sorts of problems for the Burnley defence. The visitors have let in 61 goals in 31 league matches. They have been atrocious defensively, and they will struggle to keep the Brighton striker quiet here.
Brighton & Hove Albion are the better team, and they should be able to get the job done here. Burnley will look to put up a fight, but they are struggling with a lack of confidence and momentum. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but Burnley have been quite poor defensively, and their defensive performance is likely to let them down here.
The visitors are full of confidence, and they have the attacking depth to grind out a victory away from home. A narrow win for the side is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Fabian Hurzeler and his charges.
