Match Pack: Brighton vs Saints
Saints kick-off the weekend's Premier League action with a trip to Brighton on Friday night. Get set for the south coast clash with our Match Pack...
THE MATCH
Brighton vs Saints
Premier League
Amex Stadium
Friday 29th November, 8pm GMT
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Rob Jones
Assistants: Neil Davies, Nick Hopton
Fourth official: John Busby
VAR: Jarred Gillett
Assistant VAR: Stuart Burt
WHICH KIT WILL SAINTS BE WEARING?
For the first time in the league, Saints will be in their pink and white third kit.
HOW TO WATCH
UK subscription holders can watch the action from the Amex live on Sky Sports Premier League, with live audio commentary available worldwide via Saints Play.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
After a promising performance against league leaders Liverpool last time out, Saints make the short trip along the south coast on Friday night with the chance to make up ground on the rest of the bottom three before they play over the weekend.
If they are to do so, Saints will have to overcome a Brighton side who haven't lost at home so far this season, beating reigning champions Manchester City last time out at the Amex.
TEAM NEWS
Adam Lallana will miss out against his former club having limped off against Liverpool last weekend, with Paul Onuachu being assessed after also withdrawing against the Reds.
Russell Martin will definitely be without Aaron Ramsdale, Jan Bednarek, Will Smallbone, Ross Stewart and Juan Larios who remain longer term absentees.
THE MANAGERS
Fabian HĂĽrzeler: "We must be prepared to endure challenges against Southampton; their gameplay means we cannot take this match lightly. Their performance against Liverpool serves as a clear warning for us: this league is fiercely competitive, and every opponent presents a significant challenge.
"Continuous improvement and development must be our focus. We cannot fixate on immediate results or dwell on our position at the top of the table; instead, we should concentrate on our performance, and the long-term results will naturally follow."
Russell Martin: "[Brighton] have a good plan which seems to go seamlessly when they change something. They have seasoned Premier League players and have recruited very, very well.
"It’s a game we’re desperate to win. We’re coming off the back of a very good performance. It’s a local game tomorrow, so I hope we can give the fans another moment to celebrate."
TOP SCORERS
Brighton
Goals:
Danny Welbeck 6
Adingra, Pedro 4
Baleba, Mitoma, Rutter, KadioÄźlu 2
Assists:
Baleba, Welbeck, Mitoma, Rutter, Pedro 2
Enciso, Adingra, Wieffer, van Hecke, Lamptey, Webster, Minteh, Peupion 1
Saints
Goals:
Cameron Archer 4
Armstrong, Harwood-Bellis 3
Fernandes, Bree 2
Assists:
Mateus Fernandes 3 Dibling, Lallana, Taylor 2
Armstrong, Sugawara, Walker-Peters, Kamaldeen 1
ONES TO WATCH
Joao Pedro: Brighton have welcomed back their star midfielder in the last two matches having missed five matches through injury.
Pedro has made an instant impact, with two goals and two assists in victories over Manchester City and Bournemouth.
Adam Armstrong: Last season's top scorer is finding his feet back in the Premier League, heading on the road this Friday buoyed by three goals in his last three outings at St Mary's.
Deployed back through the middle in a tweaked Russell Martin formation, Armstrong will want to grab his first away goal of the campaign in Sussex.
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 79
Brighton: 23
Draws: 20
Saints: 36
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
May 2023: Brighton 3-1 Saints (Elyounoussi)
December 2022: Saints 1-3 Brighton (Ward-Prowse)
April 2022: Brighton 2-2 Saints (Ward-Prowse 2)
December 2021: Saints 1-1 Brighton (Broja)
March 2021: Saints 1-1 Brighton (Adams)
DID YOU KNOW?
- Saints have scored in all 12 of their Premier League games against Brighton – it’s the most they’ve faced an opponent while scoring every time in the competition, while Brighton have only faced Man City (15) more without keeping a clean sheet.
KEEP UP TO DATE
Not with us at the Amex? Check out our interactive match centre at southamptonfc.com, with live streaming of the game, key updates and audio commentary of the match, and be sure to download the official Saints app and follow us on social media for further updates and exclusive content:
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