Brighton & Hove Albion vs Brentford
Premier League action returns to the South coast on Saturday when Brighton welcome Brentford to the American Express Stadium.
It’s 11th versus 12th, with both teams locked on 16 points. While Brentford, under their new manager, Keith Andrews, may well be satisfied with their lot, Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton would have hoped for a better start to the 2025/26 campaign after narrowly missing out on a European place last season.
The Seagulls went into the international break on the back of a goalless draw with fierce rivals Crystal Palace, while the Bees put in a stinging performance to beat Newcastle United 3-1 to make it four wins in five in all competitions.
The pre-season Premier League 2025 betting odds suggested Brentford would be in the relegation battle, while Brighton would be top 10 or above. But so far, there is nothing to choose between them.
Talking Points
Are the Seagulls ready to soar?
Brighton have shown plenty of signs that they can work their way to the fringes of the European places, but progress hasn’t been as quick as Hurzeler may have expected. But take a look at the Seagulls’ fixtures and he may see a better picture very soon. Crystal Palace could have gone fourth when they hosted Brighton, so an away point was not a bad outcome, and it could have been even better had VAR no overturned a penalty award for the visitors.
In their four previous games, the Seagulls beat Newcastle United and Leeds United, while losing to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup and away to Manchester United in the league. Four points from the last two games is the ratio Hurzeler wants to see, and his team was particularly impressive in beating Leeds 3-0 as Diego Gomez scored a classy double, and Danny Welbeck made his 150th Premier League game for Brighton, the fourth player to reach that tally for the club.
The Seagulls have enough depth and quality to settle in the Premier League top 10, captained by another Brighton stalwart, centre-back Lewis Dunk, and with an exciting right winger in Gambian star Yankuba Minteh, who the Bees will need to keep a close eye on.
Following this home match with Brentford, the Seagulls are away to Nottingham Forest, currently in 19th, then at home to Aston Villa and West Ham United, another bottom-three side. Eight or 10 points from these four games are well within Brighton’s reach and that would see them climb the table.
Andrews has passed his early test
While he didn’t make our pick of the three managers who deserve the most credit so far, Keith Andrews has done a hugely impressive job to keep the Bees away from the bottom three after 11 games. In fact, their Premier League 2025 results are pretty much the same as they were this time last season, with five wins, one draw, and five defeats. Andrews lost a key striker in Bryan Mbeumo, but he has been very smart not to change too much, and he’s built on the success his predecessor, Thomas Frank, had at the club.
In attack, Andrews has concentrated on set-pieces and long throws, and other Premier League clubs are taking notice. The Bees have already scored four goals from long throws and though Brentford were underdogs when they met Newcastle in their last outing, they battled back from a first-half deficit to win 3-1. Kevin Schade equalised and, after the Magpies went down to 10 men as Dan Burn saw red, the in-form Igor Thiago hit a late double.
The Bees’ success is built on an established defencive trio of centre-backs Nathan Collins and Sepp van den Berg, and keeper Caoimhin Kelleher. All three are yet to miss a game for Brentford, and their unity and communication have been key to their team’s competitive performances.
Can they keep it up? Only time will tell, but so far, Andrews and his team deserve credit.
History
These two clubs have shared the head-to-head success fairly evenly, though Brighton have won nine to Brentford’s seven in all competitions since 2006.
In terms of recent form, the Bees have won four and lost two of their last six games, while Brighton have won two, drawn two, and lost two.
Betting Tip
With Brentford at an SBOTOP price of 3.75 and the draw at 3.50, this promises to be a fascinating bout, but despite Andrews’ success so far, his team has only won one game on the road.
Both teams are in pretty good shape, but with home advantage and a quality squad, I think the Seagulls will come through for a big three points.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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