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The Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club Seagulls and the South Hampton Saints square off in English Premier League action on August 24, 2019, at The American Express.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club
The Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club was founded in 1901. The Seagulls played their early years in the Southern League prior to their election to the Football League in 1920. Between 1979 to 1983, they enjoyed success while playing in the First Division and played for the 1983 FA Cup Final. However, this club sank to the 4th division during the 1990s. They earned successive promotions in the early 2000s and then finally finished second in the EFL Championship in 20107 to earn their way back to the Premier League after a 34-year absence. They finished 15th in their first season back but were nearly relegated the last time out after a 17th place finish. Chris Hughton was sacked and he was replaced by Graham Potter.
These are the players for Brighton as of August 3, 2019:
Goalkeepers: Matthew Ryan, Jason Steele, David Button Defenders: Gaetan Bong, Shane Duffey, Lewis Dunk (captain), Leon Balugon, Ezequiel Schelotto, Martin Montoya, Bernardo, Dan Burn, Tudor Baluta, Adam Webster Midfielders: Dale Stephens, Beram Kayal, Yves Bissouma, Leandro Trossard, Pascal Grob, Jose Izquierdo, Solly March, Davy Propper Forwards: Jurgen Locadia, Florin Andone, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Glenn Murray (vice-captain), Tomer Hemed,
Known as the Saints because of their history as a church football team, the Southampton Football Club was founded in 1885 and they were among the founding members of the Premier League in 1992. The first decade in the top flight would be a struggle as the Saints were busy trying to stave off relegation. After 27 seasons in the Premier League, they were relegated in 2005 but would return to top-flight seven years later and stay there ever since. 2018 was another rough year though as they avoided regulation only during the final day of the season. In 2019, they finished in 16th place under Ralph Hasanhuttl.
Here are the players for Southampton as of 7/15/19:
Goalkeepers: Angus Gunn, Alex McCarthy, Fraser Forster, Harry Lewis Defenders: Cedric Soares, Yan Valery, Maya Yoshida, Jan Bednarek, Jannik Vestergaard, Jack Stephens, Christoph Klarer, Wesley Hoedt, Ryan Bertrand, Jake Vokins Midfielders: Mohamed Elyounoussi, Oriol Romeu, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harrison Reed, James Ward-Prowse, Callum Slattery, Sofiane Boufal, Stuart Armstrong, Josh Sims Forwards: Che Adams, Danny Ings, Shane Long, Michael Obafemi, Moussa Djenepo, Nathan Redmond
Who Wins?
Brighton’s big investments on Alireza Jahanbakhsh (£17m) and Yves Bissouma (£15m) didn’t pay off last season as they finished 17th and were nearly relegated. That cost the job of Chris Hughton and he has been replaced by Graham Potter. But Potter has his work cut out for him with the squad he inherited. The soccer betting odds aren’t out yet but I expect it to be close.
Brighton did add Leandro Trossard from Genk. The left-wing player picked up 14 goals and 7 assists in the Belgian top league last season. Brossard has the potential to make it big but there are questions regarding his ability to adjust to the Premier League right away given the quality of opposition he’s faced.
The top player will be Lewis Dunk who was their most consistent performer last season. However, it was 35-year-old Glenn Murray who led the team with 13 goals and helped keep the team afloat last season.
Southampton finished 6th in the Premier League three years ago but right now, they don’t resemble that squad even just a bit. They have been in survival mode since that performance and they also lost Virgil Van Dijk along the way in a record transfer. Without Van Dijk, the Saints don’t have a superstar to lead them. However, Hassenhuttl hopes that won’t be an issue.
The Saints bought Danny Ings who scored seven goals during the last term while he was on loan from Liverpool. Meanwhile, Che Adams has played well in the preseason and squad captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is their midfield star and main man this coming season. I think this is a good match-up but I think Southampton takes this as Brighton is still adjusting to Graham Potter’s style. Prediction: Southampton
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