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On a bustling Sunday in the Premier League, a clash of contrasting playing styles is set to take place at the Amex Stadium. Brighton, known for their daring and attacking approach, will host Fulham, a team struggling to find the back of the net. The question at hand is which manager, Roberto De Zerbi or Marco Silva, can address their team's challenges more effectively.
Brighton has gained a reputation for being entertainers, having both scored and conceded in each of their nine Premier League matches this season. In fact, they have the opportunity to become the first team to achieve this feat in the first 10 matches of a top-flight season since Tottenham did so back in 1988-89.
Brighton's attacking prowess is evident as they've notched up a league-leading 19 goals from open play in their first nine games. However, their Achilles' heel has been their inability to keep a clean sheet, going 13 Premier League matches without one and conceding 66 goals in 41 games since De Zerbi took charge last October. Only Bournemouth (72) and Leeds United (68) have let in more goals in the league during this period.
This defensive vulnerability has hindered Brighton's quest for a European spot, although a challenging run of fixtures has certainly played a role in their recent three-game winless streak. This stretch includes a humbling 6-1 defeat to Aston Villa, a thrilling 2-2 draw with Liverpool, and a narrow 2-1 loss to Manchester City.
While the injury to Solly March is a setback, Brighton boasts numerous attacking options. Kaoru Mitoma's impressive tally of 16 instances where he initiated a shot or created a chance in the first nine matches of the season is matched only by Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski. Moreover, João Pedro stands out with his average of 2.25 open-play chances created per 90 minutes, surpassed by only Kulusevski (2.47) and Brighton's own Pervis Estupiñán (2.36).
De Zerbi faces some selection challenges due to the absence of Danny Welbeck, Estupiñán, and Tariq Lamptey. However, he can draw confidence from his strong bench options in case the initial plan doesn't work out. Brighton has seen an impressive 15 Premier League goals scored by substitutes in 2023, which equals the highest ever in a single calendar year, alongside the records set by Spurs in 2008 and Arsenal in 2009.
Brighton needs to improve defensively, while Silva, who recently extended his contract for three more years, must find ways to enhance Fulham's attacking prowess to avoid any relegation concerns. Despite Monday's 2-0 loss to league leaders Tottenham, Fulham is currently seven points clear of the relegation zone as they enter Matchday 10. However, their offensive statistics are a cause for concern.
After Matchday 9, only Sheffield United (two), Luton Town (three), and Everton (four) had scored fewer goals from open play than Fulham (five) in the Premier League. Silva's team ranks 18th in the division for both total shots (96) and shots on target (30).
Raúl Jiménez continues to struggle in the Premier League with a goal drought of 23 games, and Bobby De Cordova-Reid, with two goals, remains the only Fulham player to score more than once this season. The creation of chances has also been a problem.
Last season, Andreas Pereira and Willian were pivotal for Fulham, providing six and five Premier League assists respectively. However, in 2023-24, they have only managed one assist between them (credited to Pereira). Among all Fulham players with at least 90 minutes of playtime this season, former Everton player Alex Iwobi averages the highest number of open-play chances created per 90 minutes (2.22), making him a potential addition to the lineup for Sunday's match.
Brighton aims to achieve an unprecedented feat this Sunday – securing a victory over Fulham in a Premier League match.
The Seagulls have encountered Fulham in six previous Premier League encounters, but they've never emerged victorious, managing only three draws and suffering three defeats. This marks the longest winless streak Brighton has against any opponent in the league.
In contrast, Fulham has only faced Norwich City more times in the Premier League (eight matches) without experiencing a loss than their encounters with Brighton. During the 2022-23 season, Fulham defeated Brighton both at Craven Cottage and the Amex.
Brighton's recent struggles against Fulham have seen them fall victim to an unfortunate Lewis Dunk own goal, resulting in a 2-1 loss last August, and a 1-0 defeat due to Manor Solomon's strike in February. It's worth noting that Fulham's victories over Brighton were achieved under the management of three different Seagulls bosses: Chris Hughton, Graham Potter, and De Zerbi.
Brighton is currently enduring a three-match winless streak, marking their lengthiest such drought in the Premier League since they failed to win any of their first five matches under De Zerbi last October.
Interestingly, Brighton tends to struggle during October, with only one win in their last 15 league games played during this month. Nevertheless, that solitary victory was a 4-1 triumph over Chelsea exactly a year before this Sunday's game. On a brighter note, Brighton recently triumphed in Europe by defeating Ajax 2-0 in the Europa League.
Fulham, on the other hand, hasn't fared well in their recent away matches in the league, with four consecutive winless outings, consisting of two draws and two losses. Furthermore, they have lost 17 of their last 24 top-flight games played on Sundays, managing only three wins and four draws during this period.
Despite Brighton's defensive challenges, they have managed to score in their last 25 Premier League games. Only five instances of teams scoring in more consecutive matches have been recorded, with the most recent being Liverpool, who achieved 28 consecutive scoring matches between March and December 2021.
