Brighton and Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler believes his players need to rebuild their momentum after a two-week break following their 2-1 win over Manchester City.
The Seagulls came back from a goal down in dramatic fashion to inflict City's fourth successive defeat in all competitions.
Although the international break came at a bad time for his in-form team, Hurzeler refused to criticize the schedule ahead of their trip to the Vitality Stadium.
“You always have to work to gain momentum. It is always a new match and whether there is a break between matches or not, the match starts from scratch,” he told a pre-match press conference.
“You have to go into the game and do the things that you have maximum influence over.
“You can't say 'we won against Manchester City and now the momentum will continue', it's about fighting for momentum.
“It's a new game, a different challenge and a very big challenge because Bournemouth are one of the strongest teams at the moment.”
Bournemouth have also recently beaten City, with the Cherries also triumphing over Arsenal and Southampton in their last three home games.
“They can play very intensely, they run a lot, they have individual quality, they are in good form. For me they are one of the best teams in the league at the moment,” Hurzeler said of the Cherries.
Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo has had more shots after a ball carry than any other Premier League player in 2024/25 (26).
You can find more Opta statistics like this here: @betfair |
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 14, 2024
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, wanted to emphasize that his players must maintain their concentration against Brighton. The Cherries were beaten 3-2 against Brentford last time out, despite taking the lead twice.
“You never want to lose the last game before the break because at the end you remember the last feeling. We will remember the actions here against Brentford this week,” he said.
“We can prepare very well for the match against Brighton, which will also be very demanding.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bournemouth-Evanilson
Evanilson has scored four goals for Bournemouth since joining the club in August. He is level with Antoine Semenyo as the club's top scorer, although his goals have fallen in one appearance.
The Brazilian forward has found the net in three consecutive games and will become the first Bournemouth player since Callum Wilson in 2019 to score in four consecutive top-flight games if he does so on Saturday.
Brighton – Danny Welbeck
Danny Welbeck is Brighton's top scorer so far this season, with six league goals – a total including three opening goals.
He has scored two away goals so far in the current season, on the opening day at Everton and the only goal of the game at Newcastle United last month.
MATCH PREDICTION: Draw
Bournemouth sit 12th in the Premier League with 15 points after 11 games, having lost 3-2 to Brentford in their most recent match.
However, at home they have taken 10 points from five games (three wins, one draw, one loss) and come into this with three straight wins at the Vitality Stadium. They have never won four home games in a row in the Premier League.
Brighton have gained seven points from five away games (two wins, one draw and two losses) and despite being six places above the home side, only four points separate the two.
While Bournemouth have won four of their five home Premier League games against Brighton, Fabian Hurzeler's side are coming into this in good form by winning three of their last five (one draw, one loss) Premier League games – as many wins as they have in achieved their entire season. previous 16 league matches (six draws, seven defeats).
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Bournemouth – 41.2%
Draw – 25.1%
Brighton – 33.7%
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