[Albion] Brighton & Hove Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers *** Official Match Thread ***

[Dick Head]

Albion v Wolves

PREMIER LEAGUE

Venue: The American Express Community Stadium
Date: Saturday 2nd January 2021
Kick-off: 17:30 GMT
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Dan Cook, Sian Massey-Ellis
Fourth Official: Dean Whitestone
VAR: Peter Bankes
Additional VAR: James Mainwaring
​

TEAM NEWS

Full-back Tariq Lamptey is again ruled out for Brighton because of a hamstring problem.

The Seagulls will monitor the fitness of Adam Lallana, Danny Welbeck and Aaron Connolly.

Wolves remain without long-term injury absentees Raul Jimenez and Jonny, while this game is expected to come too soon for Willy Boly and Leander Dendoncker.

Marcal also missed the recent defeat at Manchester United and could be unavailable once more.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• 
  [*=left]Brighton are unbeaten in all 10 of their top-flight matches against Wolves, winning the first seven meetings and drawing the subsequent three.
  [*=left]Wolves' last victory against Brighton came in the Championship on New Year's Day in 2016, when a Connor Goldson own goal gave them the points at the Amex Stadium.

Albion

• 
  [*=left]Brighton could set an unwanted club record of 13 home league games without a victory.
  [*=left]The Seagulls won only one of their 17 Premier League home fixtures in 2020, beating Arsenal in June (D8, L8).
  [*=left]Albion have failed to win any of their 12 Premier League matches in January (D5, L7) - the only team with a worse record in a particular month is Hull City (16 winless matches in May).
  [*=left]They have never won a Premier League game with a 5.30pm kick-off, losing their first four and drawing the subsequent five.
  [*=left]Brighton have lost their opening league match of the calendar year just once in the previous 11 seasons, with that defeat coming at home to Wolves in 2016.

Wolves

• 
  [*=left]Wolves could concede in 10 consecutive Premier League fixtures for the first time under Nuno Espirito Santo.
  [*=left]They could also suffer four successive away defeats in the top flight, a sequence they last recorded as part of a six-match streak in 2011.
  [*=left]Wolves have lost four of their six league games since striker Raul Jimenez was injured, only beating Chelsea during that time.
  [*=left]They are winless in their opening top-flight fixture of a calendar year in eight attempts, losing seven of them, since a 3-0 home victory versus Middlesbrough in 1981.
  [*=left]Adama Traore has failed to score or assist in his past 23 Premier League appearances.

Graham Potter's Wolves Press Conference

 

[Wellesley]

Thirteen games at home without a win. Never been beaten by Wolves in a top flight game. That means nothing at all to Graham and his team of record breakers. Still, I bet someone is excited.

 

[Brok]

New year, new start. Beating the Wolfs today will be a massive confidence boost.

 

[Wellesley]

New year, new start. Beating the Wolfs today will be a massive confidence boost.

Not doing dry January then?

 

[Steve Foster]

With Fulham not playing today a win will put the pressure on them - we’ll be 5 points ahead, albeit they will have 2 games in hand.

Lose & those 2 extra points will probably not be enough

Time for our players & manager to step up today.

Nothing less than a win.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Hey Ho, what can one say? I always want to be positive but , with our best three players on the treatment table and our depressing record and Mr P’s unpredictable team selection I am finding it hard to predict a good result.
Still, we are at home and it IS The Albion so I will be glued to my radio commentary hoping for the best but ,frankly, not expecting it.
Anyway since it is later in the day ,that won’t spoil the afternoon.....

 

[Rugrat]

I can't deny I've pretty much given up on this season and expecting this to be another narrow loss.

Let's hope my total ambivalence is misplaced and we put on a season best performance to kick the year off. Not expecting it ..... 0-2

 

[Icy Gull]

Delete

 

[Guinness Boy]

I've got my Brighton Bingo card ready to tick off. I was actually thinking of checking it against the TV punditry but I wrote it without checking this thread and have already managed a tick by post #3.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I've got my Brighton Bingo card ready to tick off. I was actually thinking of checking it against the TV punditry but I wrote it without checking this thread and have already managed a tick by post #3.

View attachment 131973

Think you will struggle with “tothless” unless we see some kind of breakdown on TV and it’s liiiiiiiive


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[neilbard]

2021, fresh start for Potter can he outwit Nuno Espírito Santo with his unpredictable team selections.

Praying for a home win, come on Polymath Potter let's get this party started, 3 points please.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Think you will struggle with “tothless” unless we see some kind of breakdown on TV and it’s liiiiiiiive


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oops.

That one's for Warren.

 

[southstandandy]

Surely the law of averages says we've got to win a game sooner or later. Come on the lads.

 

[Beach Hut]

So excited

 

[BBassic]

We'll play well.
Miss a few golden chances.
Lose 0-1

 

[Icy Gull]

I do have one concern with GP that seems to be a recurring thing recently.

We often tend to do well first half and look on top, even if we don’t score. However the number of times we have come out second half and been second best from the off is something that he can surely rectify, regardless of the quality of players we have on the pitch.

It’s happened against WBA, Saints, West Ham and Arsenal

It’s almost as if his half time team talk is “well played, more of the same lads” whilst the opposition managers seem to get their teams fired up and more committed than us in tackling and positive attacking. Potter needs to find a way to get us chomping at the bit from the off in the second half.

This being on the back foot from kick off in the second half is happening more and more often isn’t it? Or am I imagining it?

 

[WhingForPresident]

I'm not expecting anything from today, but I am going to stop complaining about GP after giving it some thought since the Arsenal game. Given the lack of alternatives and the fact we are only one or two players away from getting a good run together, I'm prepared to get back on the fence and stop whinging from today.

The board need to bloody back him this month though, and quickly. No excuses, we absolutely need a striker and I don't think putting all our eggs into the Andone coming good basket is wise. If we can get Tau and Moder in as well, and possibly Romero, trim the deadwood (Jahanbakhsh, Bernardo, Ryan etc), I'm very confident we will survive.

 

[The Optimist]

Hey Ho, what can one say? I always want to be positive but , with our best three players on the treatment table and our depressing record and Mr P’s unpredictable team selection I am finding it hard to predict a good result.
Still, we are at home and it IS The Albion so I will be glued to my radio commentary hoping for the best but ,frankly, not expecting it.
Anyway since it is later in the day ,that won’t spoil the afternoon.....

When did Bissouma get injured?

But, yes if Lamptey, Lallana and Welbeck are all out it is a big loss.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I do have one concern with GP that seems to be a recurring thing recently.

We often tend to do well first half and look on top, even if we don’t score. However the number of times we have come out second half and been second best from the off is something that he can surely rectify, regardless of the quality of players we have on the pitch.

It’s happened against WBA, Saints, West Ham and Arsenal

It’s almost as if his half time team talk is “well played, more of the same lads” whilst the opposition managers seem to get their teams fired up and more committed than us in tackling and positive attacking. Potter needs to find a way to get us chomping at the bit from the off in the second half.

This being on the back foot from kick off in the second half is happening more and more often isn’t it? Or am I imagining it?

You have to ask, is that something that we’re doing wrong, or are opposition managers acutely aware of our inability to capitalise on our plethora of chances, they can sit and defend for the first half whilst we run around like scalded cats. In the second half they come out and play their true game whilst we run around doing the same thing with less energy and less possession.

 

[Rugrat]

Surely the law of averages says we've got to win a game sooner or later

August - Barnsley (H)