Pandora Hughes
- Brighton v Fulham
- Saturday February 18 2023, 10:00 ET
- At Falmer Stadium, Brighton
Fulham heads to Brighton on Saturday and the draw looks like a good pick in what should be a fascinating and closely fought game.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Checking out the best-rated online sportsbooks it’s clear that bettors are heavily favoring Brighton ahead of this weekend’s game on the South coast. The home team is a -145 favorite, with the Londoners rated at +400 and the draw priced at between +295 and +310.
| Brighton v Fulham |  |  |  |
| Brighton | -145 | -143 | -145 |
| Draw | +310 | +295 | +305 |
| Fulham | +400 | +380 | +380 |
Brighton Thriving Post-Potter
It is a sign of Brighton’s resilience that the club has continued to impress even after the departure of Graham Potter, whose move to Chelsea in September was not well received by all Brighton fans.
Roberto de Zerbi did not get off to a great start, as the Seagulls lost three out of five, but that run of games including tough matches against Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool. Since then, however, Brighton has been on a steady upward curve, doing well against teams outside the Big Six, and also recorded an impressive 3-0 win over Liverpool.
In fact, as a further sign that Brighton are thriving in the post-Potter era, the team is now itself in the top six, as well as being in with a great chance of an FA Cup Quarter Final place. The key to that success has been a more attacking ethos that has seen Brighton score three or more on six occasions since de Zerbi arrived, while the trademark Potter passing style has been retained.
Fulham Defy Expectations
Widely tipped to be among the leading relegation candidates this season, after earning promotion from the Championship, Fulham has continued to defy Premier League expectations.
Marco Silva’s team has been disciplined, well organised and tenacious from the first game, and the result has been a series of impressive results and a league position of seventh that is well beyond what anyone could have expected from this team. Although two of the last four games have been lost, those defeats were by a single goal, against Tottenham and Newcastle, and were followed by a solid draw at Stamford Bridge, showing once again that Fulham can match the best.
A European qualification spot may ultimately be beyond these players, but as it stands, they are still in with a good chance and victory over Brighton would take them into sixth position.
EPL Betting Head-to-Head
Brighton’s main rivalry is with another London team, Crystal Palace, so this rivalry is not as keenly contested, but the head-to-head record shows that it is a close one.
Since Fulham and Brighton first met in a Division Three (South) game in 1928, there have been 53 games between the two teams. Fulham leads the matchup narrowly by 24-22 and there have been only seven draws, though three of those draws have come in their last five meetings.
Those five games have all been in the Premier League, and Fulham has won the other two, but the previous five meetings came when both teams were in the Championship and Brighton won all five. This season’s reverse fixture was at Craven Cottage, at the end of October and Fulham came out of the game as 2-1 victors, thanks to goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ben Dunk.
EPL Team News
Jakub Moder remains a long-term absentee for Brighton and has been given no date for a return after sustaining a cruciate ligament rupture last April. Levi Colwill and Adam Lallana both missed the Crystal Palace game with muscle problems but one or both of them may be on the bench for this one.
The team news for Fulham is not too problematic. Neeskens Kebano remains a long term absentee due to the Achilles tendon rupture he sustained in November, but Tom Cairney, who had been struggling with an ankle injury, is expected to return to the team for this game.
EPL Match Betting Pick
Brighton goes into this game as a big favorite, which is a surprise, given Fulham’s solid form, and particularly the Cottagers’ away form.
Fulham has lost five times on the road in the Premier League, but four of those defeats came against Tottenham, Newcastle, Manchester City and Arsenal, and all of those losses were by a single goal, which suggests that this is a team capable of matching stronger opponents.
Although Brighton continues to impress, it is not quite in the same class as those teams and the Fulham players are not likely to be intimidated by these opponents. It is worth noting that Marco Silva’s team has conceded only one goal in its last four away games in the Premier League, and I think the draw looks the best option in the Match Betting market.
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