Brighton Vs Southampton
Brighton Vs Southampton Monday 7th December 2020 – 20:00 (kick-off)
English Premier League
Pick: Both Teams to Score
Odds: 3/4
Bookmaker: Betway
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 4th December 2020)
Preview: A case of underachievers versus overachievers at The Amex for the Premier League’s Monday Night Football offering, as 16th-placed Brighton play host to sixth in the table Southampton in the last of the weekend’s top-flight action from England.
English Premier League Betting at Bet365
Table of Contents
Brighton Preview – Potter’s have to come good some time?
Pascal Gross’ late converted penalty at The Amex nine days ago helped Brighton (W2 D4 L4) extend their unbeaten league run to three matches (W1 D2) after a hard-earned 1-1 draw with Premier League champions Liverpool. Neal Maupay had missed an earlier penalty for the hosts, with the score locked at 0-0, before being substituted before half-time. So it could, possibly even should, have been even better for the South Coast club.
That point, while having the potential to prove invaluable at the end of the season, has had minimal impact on their position within the table. Graham Potter’s men still languish down in 16th, four points above the bottom three but five adrift of the top half – which is where their underlying numbers over the course of this season indicate they should be (5th in Infogol’s Expected Goals table: 1.6 xG, 1.2 xGA).
Essentially Brighton are among the biggest underachievers so far, flattering to deceive on a semi-regular basis. They are also one of two teams, along with Sheffield United, without a home win (D3 L2), registering three consecutive draws against Burnley, Liverpool and West Brom since valiantly losing their first two Premier League matches of the season at The Amex to Chelsea (1-3) and Man Utd (2-3).
Southampton Preview – Monday not the day to be backing Saints?
Monday is the least favourite day of the week for some. Southampton (W5 D2 L3) as a club can find some resonance with that having not managed a Premier League win on a Monday in their previous fourteen such fixtures (D7 L7), since a slender 1-0 victory on the road at West Ham in December 2002. Can Ralph Hasenhuttl be the man to banish Saints’ Monday blues, ironically against the blues of Brighton?
The Premier League table would lead us to believe there is every prospect that Southampton do indeed come away from this battle of the South Coast clubs with maximum points. The Saints went into the weekend in sixth place after five wins from ten games. For some context, that tally is only one fewer than leaders Tottenham, as many as big spending Chelsea, and one more than Arsenal.
Meanwhile, last week’s 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United – a contest Hasenhuttl felt his side ‘dominanted’ but Expected Goals as well as our own eyes told us something else – brought about an end to theirmarked their seven-game unbeaten run (W5 D2). They’ve also scored in more consecutive Premier League games (9) than anyone barring Liverpool, including each of the last four away (W2 D2).
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Brighton vs Southampton Betting Advice
With this fixture played on the Monday, both sides have additional days to get key players potentially up to speed in time for a return to action. Brighton are boosted by Tariq Lamptey returning from suspension, though could be without four-goal top scorer Neal Maupay, whereas Southampton are hopeful their own leading marksman, Danny Ings, can feature in some capacity after missing their last three league games.
Brighton vs Southampton – Key Facts:
- Alongside Sheffield United, Brighton are the only Premier League side without a home win in 2020/21 (D3 L2). They did, however, hold Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at home last time.
- Speaking of the champions, only Liverpool are enjoying a longer run for having scored in more consecutive Premier League games than Southampton (9).
- Brighton are still searching for their first win over Southampton in the Premier League (D4 L2), losing the last two home meetings without so much as scoring.
The table rarely lies. On this instance, however, perhaps it does. Southampton have overachieved until now but are nevertheless thoroughly enjoyable to watch, score in near enough every game (16 of last 17 in Premier League) and are evidently difficult to beat (1 loss in 8). Brighton, though, are a much better side than their league position would have us believe, and can also be relied upon for a goal having failed to find the back of the net just once all season.
Best Betting Odds – Brighton Vs Southampton
Brighton – 6/4 (BetVictor)
Draw – 49/20 (Unibet)
Southampton – 19/10 (Bet365)
