Will Brighton break the away day curse? – Southampton vs Brighton match preview
That tough couple of weeks that bridges between the exhilarating start of a Premier League season and the moment when it all begins to get all the more serious, has finally concluded. Yes, that dreaded September international break has finally come to an end. It was fantastic to see the likes of Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford star in the England side again, gaining some more invaluable experience, but let’s admit, we’ve all been waiting excruciatingly for the Premier League to return. The UEFA Champions League also comes back very soon, adding more and more, for me at least, to the sense of excitement to see it all get underway once more.
Brighton & Hove Albion players have taken part in the recent internationals, with the likes of Jahanbakhsh, Duffy and Kayal featuring for their respective nations, but now, just like us, their focus switches back to league football. The Seagulls don’t play until Monday evening, when they’ll face Southampton away at Saint Mary’s, so they have plenty of time to prepare and brush up on their match tactics. It also provides the opportunity for Hughton and his lads to retain a little extra match fitness than other teams in the league, possibly gaining a slight advantage for this game-week; the chance to possibly attain some valuable points with a little more ease. Southampton’s side was more effected by the international fixtures than Brighton’s too, possibly edging it once again in the Sussex side’s favour, though, this probably won’t make too much of an impact as they also have the benefit of having the extra day or two to gain match fitness.
Heading into the fixture, Brighton have quite a clean injury list, with Florin Andone and José Izquierdo looking likely to return to the substitutes’ bench this week, if not next. Izquierdo hasn’t featured in a match situation for a while, but Andone managed to play for the Under-23s in midweek, participating in a 2-1 victory over West Ham United. For the Saints, it is a very similar situation, with just the one player on the injury table – Irishman Shane Long. The attacker should be back in contention next weekend but is unlikely to feature against the Albion on Monday evening. As a result of a low amount of injuries between the teams, this is unlikely to impact too greatly on the final result.
One thing that may impact, though, is the form that Brighton have had away from home since rising to the Premier League in 2017. Their record in these instances, in fact, would get them relegated nine times out of ten. From 63 available points, the Seagulls have only managed to gain 11, through 5 draws and 2 wins, whilst suffering 14 defeats. Last time they travelled to Saint Mary’s in the league, however, they did manage to avoid loss, drawing 1-1. This poor record would worry me considerably, as a Brighton supporter, because even the summer break hasn’t broken the curse. Since returning for the new season, Hughton’s side have made two away trips, losing both and without scoring. There’s nothing to say statistically that this will change soon, either, however, in my view, this could be the turning point.
The Sussex side head into this match without a win in their last three, but what they have managed, is to score a few more goals than usual, proving critics wrong in the process. They did fail to score against both Liverpool and Southampton (in the Carabao Cup) but netted twice against Fulham, and three times against Manchester United four fixtures ago. Last season, the one thing the Seagulls struggled most with was scoring goals, so scoring five goals within four games is quite an achievement. When you consider the oppositions they were scored against, too, it is rather impressive. For me, they will continue this scoring against the Saints, but only if Hughton is thoughtful enough with his team selection and match tactics. Looking at the opposition and the way they tend to play is a good start, and by first glance, it seems as if Southampton will look to dominate the possession statistic, passing side to side whilst patiently waiting for good opportunities to arise. If Hughton can recognise this, which I’m sure he probably will, he can for sure cancel this out. Playing quite a deep defence could be a good option in doing so, with the prospect of scoring on the counter attack. Perfecting this would require selecting the likes of Anthony Knockaert, Solly March and Dale Stephens due to their fantastic defensive work rates and Stephens’ ability to win back possession efficiently. Having these types of players increases both the confidence and likelihood of a Brighton clean sheet, resulting in a higher chance of a victory. If the Seagulls can manage to set Murray and Groß free on the counter attack, it could be curtains for Southampton. As a partnership, these two work fantastically together, holding up the ball effectively and creating countless opportunities for one and other. They also draw a lot of fouls, winning set pieces for their team – one area that is a real strong point for Hughton’s side. Southampton are a team known to concede a lot of set pieces so this could be an area to keep an eye on for sure.
Judging by this and a few other factors in which I’ve discussed, Brighton fans should be reasonably confident heading into this Monday night fixture. It will likely be quite a tough game but in my view, the Albion could just edge it.
What are your thoughts? Directly message me via @bha_today to share them with me.
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