Brighton & Hove Albion are aiming to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2024/25 season as they welcome the newly-promoted Ipswich Town to the Amex on Saturday.
Many projected Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls to come unstuck before the September break as they travelled to title hopefuls Arsenal, but the visitors escaped with a 1-1 draw having benefitted from Declan Rice’s sending off.
Joao Pedro continued his excellent start to the season by scoring the equaliser at the Emirates after he headed home the winner in Brighton’s 2-1 victory over Manchester United on Matchday 2.
Ipswich couldn’t have asked for a tougher start upon their return to the top flight as they faced Liverpool and Manchester City in their opening two games, but Kieran McKenna’s dynamic outfit secured their first point of the season as they drew 1-1 with Fulham on Matchday 3.
The Tractor Boys are back on the road again this weekend as they travel down to the south coast with the intention of taming the hype around 31-year-old Brighton manager Hurzeler.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Saturday’s Premier League clash.
Brighton vs Ipswich H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Brighton |
Ipswich |
|---|---|
|
Arsenal 1-1 Brighton – 31/08/24 |
Ipswich 1-1 Fulham – 31/08/24 |
|
Brighton 4-0 Crawley Town – 27/08/24 |
AFC Wimbledon 2-2 (4-2p) Ipswich – 28/08/24 |
|
Brighton 2-1 Man Utd – 24/08/24 |
Man City 4-1 Ipswich – 24/08/24 |
|
Everton 0-3 Brighton – 17/08/24 |
Ipswich 0-2 Liverpool – 17/08/24 |
|
Brighton 4-0 Villarreal – 10/08/24 |
Ipswich 1-0 Nice – 10/08/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
N/A |
|
United States |
TBC |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada |
It’s been a frustrating start on the injury front for a couple of Brighton’s summer arrivals, and the Seagulls are set to be without midfielder Matt O’Riley for a prolonged period after he suffered an ankle injury on debut against Crawley.
Brajan Gruda and Ferdi Kadioglu have also been carrying knocks and are yet to make their respective Brighton bows. The pair could be involved this weekend, though.
James Milner and Joel Veltman are both struggling with hamstring injuries, while Solly March is out until October with a knee injury.
Brighton predicted lineup vs Ipswich (4-2-3-1): Steele; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Hinshelwood; Moder, Baleba; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck.
Wes Burns suffered a hamstring injury on Matchday 1 against Liverpool and has been out of action since. The winger is expected to make a comeback soon, although he may not be ready for Saturday’s game.
Nathan Broadhead remains out but is poised for a return before the October break. George Hirst and Harry Clarke are longer-term absentees. Clarke is in the latter stages of his recovery from an Achilles injury picked up in May.
Ipswich predicted lineup vs Brighton (4-2-3-1): Muric; Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Phillips; Hutchinson, Szmodics, Clarke; Delap.
They may have suffered expected defeats to Liverpool and City to open the season, but there’s plenty to like about this Ipswich side and it seems as if they’ve got the best shot at staying up out of the newly-promoted sides.
However, McKenna’s team are likely to claim the bulk of their points at Portman Road. They may endure a few struggles on the road, and the Amex is not the easiest of grounds to visit. While no fortress, there’s a buzz on the south coast surrounding Hurzeler’s side and Ipswich will find it hard to tame their momentum.
This will be a competitive fixture, though, and Ipswich, with their array of talented young attackers, should make the most of the space Brighton will afford them in transition. Expect goals at both ends in a tight home win.
Prediction: Brighton 2-1 Ipswich
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