Brighton & Hove Albion will look to break a five-match winless run in the Premier League when they host West Ham United at the American Express Community Stadium on Friday, 5 October 2018, kick-off at 21h00 CAT.
Brighton comes into the clash on the back of a 2-0 defeat away to champions Manchester City last weekend, with goals from Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero condemning them to their fourth loss from seven matches in 2018/19.
The Seagulls have not won a game since they got the better of Manchester United in mid-August, taking just two points from a possible 15 since then. However, Chris Hughton’s side has a much kinder stretch of fixtures ahead of them and will need to start picking up positive results in a regular basis if they are to remain clear of the relegation zone.
West Ham United will certainly be able to relate to Brighton’s struggles, having lost their first four matches of the current season, but of late they have hit some fine form and will head to the South Coast of England full of confidence.
The Hammers, since their switch to a 4-3-3 formation, have taken seven points from the last nine up for grabs. Last weekend they fully underlined their potential with an impressive 3-1 home win over a woeful Manchester United, with strikes from Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic sandwiching an own goal from Victor Lindelof.
Their two results prior to that were a goalless stalemate with Chelsea in a London derby, and a 3-1 away win over Everton – a result which looks to have been the turning point in their campaign.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini will warn his team against underestimating Brighton – especially in their own backyard. The Seagulls completed a league ‘double’ over West Ham last season (in the teams’ only top-flight league meetings), winning 3-0 at the London Stadium and 3-1 in the return game at the AmEx.
Brighton v West Ham – Head-to-Head, Premier League
Matches played 2
Brighton wins 2
West Ham wins 0
Draws 0
Last five results – Premier League
| Brighton | L | L | D | D | L |
| West Ham | W | D | W | L | L |