Brighton are back at The Amex on Saturday when they host high-flying Wolves in the Premier League. The Seagulls head into the game off the back of picking up their first away win in the Premier League this season and since last November, with a 1-0 win over Newcastle.
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Brighton could be set to make changes to the side which beat Newcastle, with Pascal Gross and Martin Montoya all fit and in contention to return to the squad. Gross has not featured since picking up an ankle injury against Fulham on 1st September. Brighton will be without Davy Propper and potentially Glenn Murray for the visit of Wolves.
Propper suffered ankle ligament damage in the 1-0 win over West Ham at The Amex at the start of October. Propper is set to miss six to seven weeks of action so he will probably not be back in contention for Albion till late December or maybe even January.
Murray is set to miss the clash due to a concussion which he suffered in the win over Newcastle last week when he collided with Federico Fernandez eight minutes into the game and Murray was knocked out and stretchered off the pitch, with him then being taken to hospital for scans.
The scans had come back clear, but the FA guidelines state clearly that players should not play or train for at least six days and maybe up to 14 days depending on the severity of the concussion.
If Gross and Montoya are fit enough to play then we should expect Brighton to lineup as follows: Ryan, Montoya, Dunk, Duffy, Bong, Jahanbakhsh, Stephens, Kayal, Izquierdo, Gross, Locadia.
This side would see Gross, Montoya and Locadia replace Bruno, March and Murray. The big decision for the manager, Chris Hughton is who to start upfront out of Locadia and summer signing, Florin Andone.
Locadia replaced Murray on Saturday, so he would be expected to get the nod over Andone, but it depends on what type of striker Hughton would want up there. If he wants a striker with pace to get in behind and stretch the defence, then Locadia would be the man.
However, If Hughton wants someone who can hold up the ball and win the ball in the air, then he will go for Andone, who had proven he can do this when he played for his previous club, Deportivo La Coruna, up front on his own.
Wingers will be key to how Brighton get on
Brighton’s wide men will be critical to how they get on Saturday. Both Jahanbakhsh and Izquierdo impressed in the win over Newcastle. Jahanbakhsh was a constant threat down the right wing and was trying to make things happen.
Izquierdo was a threat with his pace on the counter and also played a big part in the goal, with his shot from outside the box deflecting off a defender and Kayal before going into the bottom corner. What makes Izquierdo and Jahanbakhsh so dangerous, is their confidence to take on shots from a distance and with the confidence they both have at the moment, you would not bet against them going in.
