Brighton v West Ham preview: Seagulls in race for European spot
Whilst that victory kept hopes of securing a first major trophy remain alive, manager Roberto De Zerbi may have one eye on securing the high-flying Seagulls a first-ever berth in UEFA European competition with their 35 points after 22 games a club-high at this stage of a Premier League (PL) campaign.
Visitors West Ham appear to present the perfect opposition to keep the good times rolling as Brighton have never lost any of their 11 PL H2Hs (W5, D6).
That’s the most times they’ve faced any side in the competition without losing, though a 1-0 loss here in their last league outing to another London side in the shape of Fulham should ensure they aren’t complacent.
Those 11 winless H2Hs also represents the most times West Ham have faced a PL opponent without winning, and to make matters worse, they arrive off the back of a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup.
The struggling Hammers, who sit just two points above the bottom three ahead of the round, at least took some of the rising pressure off manager David Moyes by thrashing Nottingham Forest 4-0 in their last league outing.
That victory accounted for a whopping 17% of all their league goals this term however (23), and with only two sides scoring fewer PL away goals (seven) ahead of the matchday, the Hammers will want to fill their boots here and rid the ‘Brighton Curse’.
Though with just two wins from their last 12 league outings (D3, L7), Moyes likely won’t care much for the scoreline if his side can secure consecutive PL wins for just the second time this season.
Key battle: We might witness master versus apprentice here with 18-year-old striker Evan Ferguson netting four times from his last nine appearances, including in Brighton’s last outing.
The experienced Danny Ings scored his first goals (G2) in West Ham colours last weekend, and the wiley forward has also grabbed five goal contributions from six appearances (G4, A1) against the Seagulls across his spells with Aston Villa and Southampton.
Hot stat: West Ham have conceded the opening goal in eight of their last nine PL away outings.
