After a long three weeks which saw the Premier League put on ice for the final international break and FA Cup quarter final weekend, Brighton are back in action with a trip to Burnley.
The visit to Turf Moor kicks off a run taking us through the final seven games of the season. The Albion and Burnley both have plenty left to fight for at different ends of the table.
Brighton were in flying form prior to their time off, winning three matches out of four to move back into European contention.
The Clarets meanwhile are trying to avoid an immediate return to the Championship but are now 12 points adrift of safety after West Ham were easy 4-0 winners over Wolves on Friday night.
Seagulls shine on the international stage
Whilst there might have been a lack of Albion action since the 2-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday 21st March, lots of Seagulls have been shining for their national teams ahead of the final two months of the campaign.
What happened during the international break is probably more relevant than that game against the reigning champions three weeks ago.
There were two highlights for me. The most likeable man in Sussex, Jason Steele, received his first England call up.
His footballing journey has been incredible. Eight years ago, Steele was about to suffer back-to-back relegations with Sunderland dropping from the Premier league to League one.
Since then, he has gone from Brighton third choice goalkeeper to playing a crucial role on and off the pitch in helping the Seagulls soar into Europe. Making the Three Lions squad aged 35 shows you should never give up on your dreams. Steele is an inspiration.
He also got to witness the second highlight of the international break first-hand from Wembley – Kaoru Mitoma scoring for Japan against England.
That goal gave the Samurai Blue their first ever win over the Three Lions. Mitoma and Japan also saw off Scotland for a double win over the two home nations heading to the World Cup.
Despite being a proud Englishman, I cheered loudly when Mitoma scored. And I know I am not the only one to admit that!
Pascal Gross was back in the German squad for the first time in over a year. Some fine performances since his return to the Albion have caught the eye of Julian Nagelsmann and our Brighton Kaiser played his part in both games against Switzerland and Ghana.
I think I speak for all Brighton fans when I say it was wonderful to see and really hope Gross is on the plane to this summer’s World Cup.
Diego Gomez took his superb recent Albion performances with him into a Paraguay shirt. On his 23rd birthday, Gomez scored a beautiful free kick against Greece.
Ferdi Kadioglu and Yasin Ayari book their World Cup places
Ferdi Kadioglu has been arguably Brighton’s Player of the Season so far. He scored the only goal of the game as Turkey beat Romania in their World Cup qualification playoff semi final. Turkey then defeated Kosovo 1-0 to book their place in a first finals since 2002.
Yasin Ayari and Sweden also successfully navigated the playoffs. Under the management of ex-Albion boss Graham Potter, the Swedes squeezed past Poland in the final minutes of their playoff final 3-2 to ensure they will be in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
Burnley v Brighton head-to-head
Back to Burnley against Brighton and it will probably not come as a surprise for you to learn the draw is the most common result between these two sides.
Of 42 meetings, 17 have ended all square thanks largely to 14 stalemates this century. The Albion have won 13 matches and Burnley 12.
Brighton ran out 2-0 victors when the sides last met at the Amex in January thanks to goals from Georginio Rutter and Ayari.
It was the sole Premier League victory the Albion managed between the start of December and end of February.
Burnley v Brighton team news
Scott Parker is contending with a number of injuries hampering the Clarets’ survival bid. Defensive duo Jordan Beyer and Connor Roberts are ruled out with a hamstring injury and Achilles rupture respectively.
Club captain Josh Cullen has been missing since injuring his ACL in December. Cullen is not expected back until September at the earliest.
Midfielder Zeki Amdouni has a knee problem and ex-Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri did not play for Tunisia during the international break because of a hamstring injury. The visit of Brighton to Turf Moor comes too soon for Hannibal to sink his teeth into.
Lewis Dunk is suspended for Brighton after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Liverpool. Olivier Boscagli is in line to take over at centre back.
Jack Hinshelwood is expected to feature despite having pulled out of the England Under 21 squad. Hinshelwood has been training for the past week, as has Solly March. The much-loved winger may make the bench.
Lastly, Fabian Hurzeler himself will have to watch from the stands as he serves his second touchline ban of the season. Assistant manager Jonas Scheuermann and first team coach Andrew Crofts will lead the Albion from the dugout.
Burnley players to watch
Burnley might be drifting back towards the Championship to continue their existence as a yo-yo club. But they still possess some players who could cause Brighton problems at Turf Moor.
Zian Flemming
Zian Flemming has led the line admirably this season, scoring eight Premier League goals so far – almost a quarter of the Clarets’ total.
Flemming is your classic target man centre forward. Strong, dangerous in the air and good at holding up the ball. Boscagli and Jan Paul van Hecke will have a battle on their hands against the 27-year-old Dutchman.
Jaidon Anthony
Another player who deserves an honourable mention for shinning in an otherwise lacklustre Burnley side is winger Jaidon Anthony.
Seen as really exciting prospect a few years ago at Bournemouth, Anthony found himself pushed down the pecking order when the Cherries signed players like Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert.
Anthony moved to Turf Moor for regular football and it has worked out well for both parties. He was instrumental in the Clarets winning promotion last season and has continued in that vein back in the Premier League.
Seven goals from out wide shows what a threat Anthony is. He brings so much speed, creativity and general danger down the wing.
Anthony will doubt be looking to continue his good personal season with the aim of potentially securing a summer move back to the top flight.
Final thoughts
This has all the makings of a tricky 90 minutes for Brighton. Burnley are a cornered, wounded animal right now fighting for survival. Under Scott Parker they have shown on more than one occasion that they can cause teams problems on their day.
Mathematically, they can still beat the drop. That 12 point gap to safety is big but the Clarets play three of their fellow bottom six in the final seven matches which does at least offer some hope.
Burnley would need to win those three matches and pick up points elsewhere to stand a chance of survival. The visit of the Albion is one of those games they have to target for a result.
As for Brighton, Europe is very much on now fifth place is guaranteed a Champions League spot to push Europa League and Europa Conference qualification further down the table.
Eighth may now be enough for Conference football. Burnley is therefore a must win game for Brighton ahead of tough matches against Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United to come.
Andrew’s Prediction
The international break came at the wrong time for Brighton. When you have just won four games of out five, the last thing you want is a three weeks off.
Throw in the Albion’s history against teams struggling near the bottom – which all of you will be aware of – and a trip Burnley represents a massive banana skin.
However, I think things will be different this weekend. Even in the middle of that awful run of form, Brighton managed to beat a sorry Clarets side at the Amex.
I expect the Albion to dominate the ball with Burnley averaging the lowest possession percentage of any Premier League club this season – just 41.5 percent. The Clarets have also produced the fewest chances in the division.
That being said, I do think we will see goals at both ends. Dunk’s absence is a blow and Burnley will look to target it from set pieces and playing on the counter.
Brighton though should be full of confidence and for that reason, I am going for an away win and a huge three points to keep the European dream alive.
Burnley 1-3 Brighton.
Andrew James @AndrewJames1901
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