MY ACCOUNT
Nottingham Forest lost a key battle at the weekend – going down 1-0 at fellow strugglers Wolves – and they head to Brighton needing at least a point to climb off the foot of the Premier League table.
The outlook is a lot brighter for Seagulls, who are in seventh place despite losing their last two matches.
Brighton’s results have dipped but a victory over Forest would lift them into fifth place – only two points outside of the top four.
Team news
Brighton have one less attacking option to call on after Kaoru Mitoma sustained an ankle injury during Friday’s 2-0 loss at Brentford.
Polish midfielder Jakub Moder is a long-term absentee with a knee issue, while Levi Colwill and Jan Paul van Hecke will also miss out with minor injuries.
Forest boss Steve Cooper must decide whether to shuffle the pack as he searches for a change of fortune.
Serge Aurier, Lewis O’Brien and Renan Lodi all missed out at the weekend, joining Omar Richards, Jack Colback and Moussa Niakhate on the sidelines.
The stats
Brighton have collected just one point from three games since appointing Roberto De Zerbi as Graham Potter’s successor.
Previously they had harvested 13 points from six matches and they sat fourth in the table upon returning from the September international break.
Forest have taken just two points from six games since defeating West Ham 1-0 in their first home game of the season.
They have lost their last three away matches without scoring and have gone eight league games since their last clean sheet.
Prediction
Brighton have been unfortunate to take just one point from their last three games but their wait for a first victory under De Zerbi can end with a low-scoring success over Forest.
The Seagulls are still playing with plenty of confidence and were on the front foot for the majority of their 2-0 loss at Brentford on Friday.
Ivan Toney was Brighton’s nemesis in west London but there is no equivalent quality in the Forest squad despite their massive outlay this summer.
Brennan Johnson was Forest’s top scorer in the Championship, netting 16 goals, but he has notched just twice in 10 Premier League starts.
Forest have lacked a creative spark since on loan midfielders Philip Zinckernagel and Joe Garner left the club and it may take a lot longer for their manager to identify which of the new signings he can properly rely on.
For now, Cooper’s Forest look a disjointed bunch and they may struggle to offer much resistance to the Seagulls, who are a well-oiled machine.
Brighton’s development into a top half Premier League side has been a slow, steady process and they look well-placed to have another strong season.
However, they lack top quality strikers and, for this reason, it makes sense to back a Brighton win with under 3.5 goals in the match at 19/20.
