Brighton & Hove Albion vs Brentford

Amex Stadium sets the stage for an exciting Boxing Day contest between two out-of-form Premier League sides Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford. 

Brighton entered the festive period in a troubled mind after a five-game winless run (D3, L2) derailed their hopes of securing a coveted European finish. Dropping points from leading positions in two of their last three Premier League outings added insult to injury ahead of Brentford’s visit to East Sussex, where the Seagulls haven’t lost any of their three previous top-flight H2Hs (W2, D1). Therefore, manager Fabian Hurzeler must be optimistic about steering his side back to winning ways following a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in their last league game at the Amex. That result halted Brighton’s unbeaten Premier League record on home turf this season (W3, D4) but maintained a trend of goals on both ends. Indeed, nine of Hurzeler’s 11 home matches in charge of Bright have seen both teams on the scoresheet.

On the other hand, Brentford slumped to a disheartening 2-0 home loss to surprise package Nottingham Forest last weekend, extending their losing streak in domestic football to three games – all of which saw them concede 2+ goals. Another leaky performance and, in turn, a disappointing outcome is on the cards, considering the Bees have only managed one point across eight Premier League road trips this season (D1, L7), ominously capitulating at least twice in all seven defeats. Particularly vulnerable before halftime, Thomas Frank’s men have conceded the division’s third-high nine first-half goals on the road. However, it’s worth noting that they have conceded the opening goal in less than 50% of their top-flight away matches thus far (3/8).