Overview
Brighton's 4-match unbeaten streak officially ended after a defeat to Aston Villa in midweek, when Fabian Hurzeler's team regrettably dropped the 2-0 lead.
Jan Paul van Hecke's beautiful finish in the last minute - also his second goal in the match - came too late for The Seagulls to hold on to hope. In the end, Unai Emery's army left the Midlands with a dramatic victory of 4-3.
After an unbeaten November, Brighton opened December in the worst possible way and dropped to seventh place in the Premier League. However, the gap with the top 4 is still only 2 points, where Chelsea are temporarily holding their place in the last Champions League.
However, The Seagulls fans can still hope for a ticket to the European Cup. Hurzeler's defence disappointed Villa, but Brighton's attack still maintained impressive performance, especially at home.
In fact, Brighton have scored at least 2 goals in their last 6 home matches in the Premier League, contributing to bringing the total number of goals scored this season to 24 - including 17 in the second half.
Meanwhile, West Ham just had a draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. They were behind by Diogo Dalot's opening shot, but Soungoutou Magassa managed to score their first Premier League goal in the last 10 minutes, helping West Ham leave Old Trafford with a valuable point.
While this result is encouraging, it has also extended the Hammers' 3-match winless streak in the Premier League. They continue to stay in the relegation zone, two points behind Leeds United.
This trip to the South also did not bring many positive signals to West Ham fans. They have conceded 31 goals against Brighton in the Premier League era - more than any other opponent of The Seagulls.
However, Santo can still find some hope from the 7-0 disastrous victory he created with Nottingham Forest against Hurzeler's team in February. In addition, West Ham's only win over Brighton in the Premier League also came at Amex in August 2023.
Personnel situation
All eyes are on Brighton young striker Stefanos Tzimas - who suffered a knee injury in the first half of the loss to Aston Villa. Fabian Hurzeler is concerned the 19-year-old could be out for a long time.
Tzimas' injury is likely to pave the way for Danny Welbeck to return to the starting lineup. The veteran striker has a special chance to score against West Ham, having scored six goals against The Hammers in the Premier League - the most of his opponents in the competition.
In midfield, Yasin Ayari (old) can recover in time for this match. However, Brighton still face a long injury list. Kaoru Mitoma (fishing eye), Georginio Rutter (shocked), Tommy Watson (unknown), James Milner, Solly March and Adam Webster (all with knee injuries) are definitely absent.
On the other side, West Ham received good news when Lucas Paqueta returned from suspension due to an unnecessary red card in the match against Liverpool, meaning Tomas Soucek is likely to return to the bench.
Meanwhile, the possibility of Crysencio Summerville playing is still uncertain due to not fully recovering.
Lukasz Fabianski (back) and Oliver scarles ( rear) continue to sit out the away team. No. 9 striker Callum Wilson will be West Ham's biggest hope in this match.
Expected lineup:
Brighton: Verbruggen, Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu, Baleba, Ayari, Minteh, Gruda, De Cuyper, Welbeck.
West Ham: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Mavropanos, Diouf, Potts, Magassa, Bowen, Paqueta, Fernandes, Wilson.
The match between Brighton and West Ham takes place at 9:00 p.m. on December 7 (Vietnam time).
