West Ham United vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Date: 02/01/2019
K/O: 19:45
Venue: London Stadium
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
West Ham will be wanting to start 2019 better than they ended 2018, with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor. The Hammers missed their second opportunity to rise into the Europa League spots and will hope that they can get themselves back on track against Brighton on Thursday.
Chris Hughton’s side will be making their second visit to the London Stadium. The Seagulls will be confident against the Hammers, a side they have beaten in every Premier League game since they were been promoted. Brighton are on a strong run of form, picking up a 1-1 draw against Arsenal and a 1-0 win against Everton.
Team News
West Ham manager, Manuel Pellegrini, will be boosted by the early business West Ham have made with the signing of Samir Nasri. The Frenchman is expected to go straight in the match-day squad. Nasri has been training with the club for a couple of months in order to get back to fitness and earn a contract with the club having not played for over a year due to a doping ban.
Pellegrini however, will be without captain Mark Noble who picked up his fifth yellow card against Burnley meaning he will miss out against Brighton. The West Ham injury list is still yet to let up on the Hammers, with big names such as Lanzini, Yarmolenko, Wilshere and Reid remaining a long way off returning. Fabián Balbuena, who missed the Burnley game, has no return date yet due to a muscle injury.
Pablo Zabaleta however, could return to the team as he has recovered from his illness that made him miss the Burnley game. This move would see Michail Antonio either dropped from the side or deployed on further up the pitch, in his more natural attacking position.
Brighton manager, Chris Hughton, will be without first choice goalkeeper Maty Ryan and winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh who are both currently on international duty. David Button will continue between the posts, whilst Jose Izquierdo will be fit for the match as he has recovered from a knee injury which has kept him out since early December.
Brighton striker Glenn Murray will be relishing playing the Hammers as he has a very good track record against them. The Englishman has only started three games in London and has scored each time, regsitering five goals in total.
Predicted Starting XIs
West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Zabaleta, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Obiang, Rice; Anderson, Snodgrass, Antonio; Arnautovic.
Brighton & Hove Albion (4-5-1): Button; Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bernardo; March, Groß, Stephens, Propper, Izquierdo; Murray.
Prediction: West Ham 2 Brighton 1
Brighton do have a strong track record in the Premier League against West Ham and will think they can make it four wins from four. The Hammers, however, will be pushing for this game as the will want to get back on track after their disappointing defeat against Burnley.
West Ham will also be buoyed by the fact Brighton are not as good away from the Amex this season and the London Stadium is starting to feel more like home. West Ham should have too much for Brighton this time, especially as Arnautovic will be a bit sharper and could make the difference for West Ham.
