Brighton vs. Wolves: Preview, Odds, Predictions (April 29)
Initial Thoughts
Back at home for the first time in four weeks, Brighton will aim to put two painful losses behind them when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to the south coast on Saturday.
The Narrative
After spending much of the first half of the season in the relegation places, Wolves have all but secured Premier League football next year, with ex Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui steadying the ship since his appointment in late November last year.
In 13th place with five games to play, Lopetegui’s side are a healthy eight points above the drop zone having lost only one of their last five outings in the league.
Three of their last four games have been wins as well, racking up victories against Chelsea, Brentford and Crystal Palace.
All of those fixtures took place in front of Wolve’s home crowd at Molineux, and all three featured clean sheets from Lopetegui’s back line.
Roberto de Zerbi has seen his stock rise massively this season after picking up where poor old Graham Potter left off on the south-coast.
Pep Guardiola recently described Brighton as one of the best attacking sides in world football, and while that may largely have been mind games to upset Arsenal’s title challenge it’s true to say the Seagulls are an outperforming side in the Premiership.
Before April, De Zerbi's side had suffered only a single league defeat this year, but in the last four weeks fans have witnessed a late season slump that threatens to derail Brighton’s quest for European football next season.
A bad-tempered loss to Spurs earlier this month, coupled with a shock 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest in midweek means the Seagulls have slipped back to 8th place in the league; six points behind Spurs in the last European place.
But with at least two games in hand on all the three teams above them, there’s more than enough time for Brighton to finish higher up the table come the end of a dramatic season.
Nuts and Bolts
A heartbreaking defeat on penalties to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi final last weekend means Brighton come into this game seeking to avoid three consecutive losses for the first time this season.
But the Seagull’s home form has been impressive, with De Zerbi’s side unbeaten in five of their six games at the Amex Stadium this year.
Brighton haven't played a home fixture for almost a month, Saturday’s fixture will be a welcome return for the south coast team.
Despite a good run of results at Molineux, Wolves have struggled away from home, raking up just a single win on the road this year - and only two all season.
Lopetegui’s side have come away with defeat in three of their last four matches on the road, and Wolves will need to buck that trend if they’re to get any joy at the American Express Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Homestand Picks
All odds courtesy of Northstar Bets
Brighton half time/full time (+118)
In two of their last three home fixtures the Seagulls scored in both halves. Brighton will be happy to be back at the Amex, and we’re thinking they’ll be ahead at the end of both halves.
Wolves’ last four away games have featured a whopping 20 yellow cards, while Brighton's last four home games featured 14. Over 4.5 bookings looks like good value here.
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