Brighton v Brentford: Back the Seagulls to feast on Bees with some Joao Pedro magic | OneFootball

English Premier League

Thomas Frank's Brentford are struggling on the road

Brighton are winless in five Premier League matches, but Kevin Hatchard expects them to bounce back against leaky Brentford.

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Hurzeler determined to end Seagulls slump

With some coaches it would feel performative when they say they'll spend the Christmas break working and analysing games, but with Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler it rings true. It's the kind of work ethic that saw the 31-year-old given his big Premier League break with the Seagulls, and he has led them into the top half of the Premier League table.

Brighton are an ambitious club, and Hürzeler knows he is expected to at least be in the mix for European qualification. A run of five games without a win has seen BHAFC fall six points behind the Champions League pack, and they are three points off the top six.

However, all is not lost. Brighton created more than enough chances to beat West Ham in their last game, and ultimately had to settle for a 1-1 draw in East London. They have lost just four of their 17 Premier League matches, and they have beaten Manchester City, Manchester United, Spurs, Newcastle and Bournemouth.

Perhaps most importantly, the inertia of Roberto De Zerbi's closing months at the club has been washed away. The Italian had great successes, but knew he was leaving long before he exited, but Hürzeler has brought a fresh energy to a young group of promising players.

Brazilian forward Joao Pedro has been particularly impressive. The former Watford man has delivered four goals and three assists in 11 PL appearances, and looks a threat in every game he plays.

Bees must learn to buzz outside the hive

While Brentford have been absolutely stellar at home, with seven wins out of nine, they must somehow raise their game away from the Gtech. Away from home Brentford were swept aside by Newcastle in the League Cup quarter-finals, and in the league they have lost eight of their last ten top-flight matches.

That road form is a chronic problem, because if you go back further, Brentford have lost 17 of their last 22 away matches. They have collected 11 points from an available 66 in that spell.

Brentford lost at home for the first time at the weekend, as they were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle, and their defending has become a big concern. The Bees have leaked at least twice in 11 of their last 14 Premier League matches, and on the road they have conceded twice or more in seven of the last eight. Their defensive strength won't be helped by the absence of key centre-back Ethan Pinnock at the Amex.

At least Thomas Frank can call upon plenty of firepower. Bryan Mbeumo (tipped by this writer at 140.0 in the Top Golascorer market) has crashed in ten Premier League goals this term, while strike partner Yoane Wissa has contributed nine top-flight goals. Brentford have scored in 41 of their last 50 Premier League matches, which is testament to Frank's positive coaching.

Brighton can net lively win

Brighton are playing better than their recent results suggest, and they should've beaten West Ham last time out. They are creating plenty of chances, they can hurt teams in different ways, and I can't see how a creaking Brentford defence contains them.

We can get 11/10 on the Betfair Sportsbook for Brighton to win and Over 2.5 Goals. All but one of Brighton's league victories this term have featured at least three goals.

However, I'll be greedier and back Brighton to win and BTTS at 17/10. A BTTS bet has landed in 12 of Brighton's last 13 Premier League matches, and 16 of Brentford's last 18 competitive outings.

Samba starlet to contribute

Joao Pedro is an outstanding footballer, and he has had seven goal involvements in 11 top-flight games this term. We can get what I think are rather generous odds of 4/5 on the Betfair Sportsbook to back him to score or assist.

Joao Pedro has contributed to at least one goal in five of his last ten Premier League appearances, and he's coming up against a weakened defence that tends to be very obliging away from home.

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