Brighton & Hove Albion vs West Ham United
Amex Stadium forms the backdrop for a tasty-looking Premier League encounter between free-firing Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United.
Despite losing Alexis Mac Allister and Mosises Caicedo to Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively, Brighton’s new Premier League season has been off to a phenomenal start. Following a 4-1 thumping of newly-promoted Luton Town on the opening weekend, the ‘Seagulls’ stunned Wolverhampton by the identical scoreline last week, remaining the only Premier League side alongside Arsenal and Manchester City to maintain a 100% win record after the opening two rounds. Seeking a third consecutive league win for the first time since October 2018, Robert De Zerbi’s men take the field looking to become only the fourth club in English top-flight history to net 4+ goals in their opening three games. West Ham’s visit bodes well, as they’ve won both previous home league H2Hs by an aggregate score of 7-2.
In the meantime, West Ham bounced back from a heartbreaking 1-1 draw at Bournemouth in round one with a 3-1 home win over cross-town rivals Chelsea last time out. Despite being reduced to ten men, David Moyes’ team eked out a precious home victory to set themselves up perfectly for this ominously-looking trip. Indeed, the ‘Hammers’ have failed to beat Brighton in all 12 previous Premier League H2Hs (D6, L6), losing four of their six top-flight meetings at the Amex (D2). West Ham fans should approach this contest with cautious optimism, considering the Londoners are winless on their last five Premier League travels (D1, L4), worryingly conceding multiple goals in all four defeats. Since each of their three away league wins in 2022/23 yielded a clean sheet, their potential success in this clash will likely hinge on their defensive resilience.