Southampton FC vs Brighton & Hove Albion, Premier League 2022-2023, Today Match Prediction

Southampton FC vs Brighton & Hove Albion Match Prediction & Analysis

Like Wolves, Southampton resume their season inside the bottom three and with a relatively new manager at the helm.

Nathan Jones has come from Luton Town with the intention of turning the Saints’ fortunes around in a time when they look like they could be relegated.

He began his tenure before the World Cup break, with a disappointing defeat to Liverpool. He tasted victory this week though, with his side progressing to the Quarter Finals of the Carabao Cup.

Brighton have been through a manager change already this season, with Roberto De Zerbi coming in to replace the outgoing Graham Potter. 

It hasn’t disrupted their flow too much – they sit in 7th place, just a point behind Liverpool. They play with an energy and freedom under their manager that few teams can contain.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Southampton FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful:

     Hoping for a new manager boost under Nathan Jones

     Lost just one of their last 10 meetings with Brighton

Reasons to be fearful:

     Saints have the worst home record in the league

     Have kept just one clean sheet from their 15 league games this season

In truth, even with a change of manager, you still fear for Southampton’s chances this season.

There is a lack of quality among their squad, one that will need to be fixed in the January transfer window if they are to harbour any hopes of surviving relegation.

Nathan Jones has been given his chance to shine in the Premier League after two good spells with Luton, although this could be the making or breaking of him.

With Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Everton and Aston Villa to follow, Jones must look at that as a key period of the season, with two or three wins required at least to lift them out of the bottom three.

Here, the Saints should have a full squad to choose from, with Theo Walcott and Kyle Walker-Peters overcoming injury concerns.

Star Man – Che Adams

Adams has been left alone to find the net for Southampton in recent times, which he did twice in their win over Lincoln in midweek. He has the ability to drag the Saints out of the mire but only with good support.

Brighton & Hove Albion Preview

Reasons to be cheerful

     Won two of their last three games

     7th in their highest league position at this time of the season

Reasons to be fearful

     Have kept just one clean sheet from their last 10

     Poor Boxing Day record

Brighton appear to be going places once more, this time under Roberto De Zerbi’s stewardship rather than Graham Potter’s.

There has been a small blip in results since the new manager took over, most noticeably four defeats from eight league matches.

They now seem to play with a freedom associated with Brighton in recent seasons, one that makes them very hard to play against. This is their highest league position at Christmas.

Here, they will need to make do without Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister, who has been given two weeks off after their World Cup victory.

Webster and Welbeck also miss out due to injuries.

Star Man – Moises Caicedo

Very few players provide drive and energy from midfield like Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian had a good World Cup too, where he was a positive force for his country.