Match Preview
Fulham vrs Brighton and Hove Albion
Premiership Match Day 05 2223 at Craven Cottage
Tuesday 30th August 2022 KO: 19:30
Referee:
Thomas Bramall (Sheffield)
Live on BT Sport
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Fulham can stretch their unbeaten run at Craven Cottage to three consecutive Premier League encounters on Tuesday when they host Brighton & Hove Albion for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign.
Last season's Championship winners dropped their first encounter of the new top-flight campaign last Saturday, 2-1 versus Arsenal, while Albion are one of only five EPL sides without a defeat this season, beating Leeds United 1-0 over the weekend.
The Premier League campaign is still relatively young, but early on, the Cottagers have proven to be no pushovers, claiming five points after four matches, which is one more than they had in their first four games of the 2018-19 and 2020-21 EPL seasons combined.
To this point of the top-flight season, Marco Silva's men have shown quality, class and maturity, managing to keep every one of their matches close.
They have gone toe-to-toe with two of the Big Six clubs in England, drawing Liverpool in their opener 2-2 and giving the Gunners all they could handle on Saturday.
While their performances thus far have been incredibly encouraging, Fulham have struggled to put a match to bed when given the opportunity, squandering the lead in three of their four fixtures this year and letting five points slip away when holding a second-half advantage.
At the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, the Cottagers held firm along the backline for the opening 45 minutes but became fatigued in the latter stages of the match, as Arsenal eventually made all of their possession (72%) pay off, scoring on two of their eight efforts on target.
Five of the six goals conceded by Fulham in 2022-23 have come in the second half, a sharp contrast from how they ended their Championship-winning season in 2021-22 when the Cottagers did not concede a strike in the final 45 minutes in their last three domestic encounters.
Tuesday will be just the third time that Fulham have faced the side from East Sussex, with the home team unbeaten against them at Craven Cottage, winning 4-2 in this exact fixture in 2018-19, while drawing 0-0 at home in 2020-21.
There is a lot to be excited about at Brighton right now, as the Seagulls extended their unbeaten run in Premier League play to nine straight matches on Saturday, the longest-ever streak for them without a loss in top-flight football.
Graham Potter's men have been incredibly resolute on the defensive side this month, failing to concede in four straight matches in all competitions.
Their only goal allowed in the Premier League this season was an own-goal by Alexis Mac Allister in their opening fixture, which they went on to win, 2-1 over Manchester United.
Brighton have points in four consecutive top-flight affairs away from home, and a victory on Tuesday would mark the first time they have ever won three straight road matches in the Premier League.
With 10 points after four EPL fixtures, it is the best beginning to a domestic campaign for the Seagulls, eclipsing their achievement from last season when they claimed nine points at this stage of the competition.
In four previous meetings against Fulham in the top flight, Brighton have never come out on top, squandering a 2-0 lead in their first-ever visit to Craven Cottage in the EPL in 2018-19, allowing four goals in the second half.
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Fulham are unbeaten in all four Premier League fixtures, with both meetings in 2020-21 ending goalless.
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Brighton lost 11 of their first 13 away league games against Fulham between 1929 and 1985 but have won five of their last nine.
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Fulham have picked up four points in their first two games at Craven Cottage - it took them six home fixtures to reach this tally in their last top-flight campaign. The Cottagers are looking for consecutive Premier League home wins for the first time since April 2019.
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This will be their 250th Premier League match at Craven Cottage (W101, D57, L91).
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Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored three goals in his two Premier League starts against Brighton.
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Mitrovic has had the most attempts at goal this season (19) and netted his 100th Fulham goal against Arsenal at the weekend.
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Marco Silva has lost his last five Premier League games against English managers, suffering defeat versus Dean Smith, Eddie Howe, Chris Wilder, Sean Dyche and Graham Potter. The last manager to lose more consecutively was Mick McCarthy with Sunderland between 2003 and 2005 (10 defeats in a row).
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Victory will ensure Brighton end the day as top-flight leaders for the first time in their history.
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Albion's nine-match unbeaten run is their longest ever such streak in the top flight.
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They have won five of their last seven away league matches.
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Graham Potter's side have kept a clean sheet in each of their last seven Premier League games against newly promoted sides (W5, D2). Their defeat to West Brom in February 2021 is their only loss against a newly promoted side in their last 15 such fixtures.
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They failed to win in seven midweek league matches last season. Their previous three such matches saw them draw with Chelsea and pick up victories over Liverpool and Manchester City
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The Seagulls are looking to win their opening three away league games in a campaign for the first time in the top flight and only the fourth time in their history, also doing so in 1953-54, 1957-58 and 2011-12.
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Brighton's total of three clean sheets is the highest in the Premier League this season.and assisting three more.
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