![Prost International [PINT]](https://prostinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PINTtFontLogoRoboto1536x78.jpg)
As Brighton’s players trudged off the field following last Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, you could hardly blame them for feeling a strong sense of deja vu.
Not only was it the 10th time this season that Graham Potter’s side had lost a league game by a single goal, but it was also the 17th occasion that they had failed to win despite having more shots than their opponent. According to Infogol, this was the 14th game in which they had accumulated a higher expected goals value than the opposition and not come away with three points.
Against Paul Heckingbottom’s Blades, striker Neal Maupay missed three presentable chances throughout the 90 minutes – continuing a run of just one goal in his last 14 appearances in the process – to leave the south coast club 17th in the Premier League table and seven points clear of the relegation zone.
“I wouldn’t say I am concerned about our run in as every game in the Premier League is tough. We’ve shown that we can pick up points against any team in this league. We have belief and we’re fighting.”
Failing to find the back of the net despite generally controlling games, and creating hatfuls of chances in the process, has seen Brighton fail to definitively pull away from relegation danger despite winning plaudits from neutrals and pundits alike.
Impressive wins at Anfield against Liverpool and at home against Tottenham have been indictors of how effective Potter’s side can be when everything clicks, but with five games of the season remaining, they are the team looking most likely to be caught by current drop zone residers Fulham and West Brom.
In truth, it would take an unexpectedly brilliant run of form from either of those sides to give them any real hope of catching Brighton, nevertheless returning to winning ways this weekend after a run of four games without a victory would help to put to bed any nagging doubts about securing a fifth successive season in the top flight next term.
A positive to come out of the Sheffield United defeat was the return of Jose Izquierdo after long-term knee and hamstring injuries. The Colombian winger came off the bench for the final eight minutes of the game to make his first appearance since April 2019, and he very nearly forced a late equaliser with a long-range strike that was tipped around the post by Aaron Ramsdale.
Whilst it would be expecting a lot to hope that Izquierdo can provide an easy solution to their goal-scoring woes, Brighton’s misfiring frontline may mean he returns back into regular action sooner rather than later.
South African forward Percy Tau is also closing in on a return to action following a hamstring injury of his own, although Adam Lallana has reportedly picked up a calf problem in training that could rule him out of this weekend’s game.
On Saturday, they take on a Leeds United side that has had no issues scoring goals all season long in their impressive return to the top flight.
Their 50 goals scored so far is double the amount of fellow promoted side Fulham, and the end-to-end nature of many of their games has made them a welcome addition to the Premier League after spending almost two decades in the second and third tiers.
Although Patrick Bamford has attracted many of the headlines thanks to his impressive haul of 14 goals to date, Stuart Dallas, Jack Harrison and Raphinha have all been regulars on the scoresheet to ensure there have only been nine games in which Leeds have failed to score.
Hard pressing and an incessant commitment to throwing men forward have been the most regularly highlighted traits that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been lauded for, yet in recent weeks they have discovered a new-found defensive resilience to boost their hopes of a top-half finish.
Since a 4-2 defeat at Arsenal in the middle of February, Leeds have conceded just eight goals in the 10 games that have followed, suggesting the 4-3 wins and 6-2 defeats that shocked and amazed many in the early months of the season may well be a thing of the past.
The most resilient of those defensive displays came in a late win at the Etihad Stadium against champions-elect Manchester City. A brace from Dallas, including a 91st-minute winner, completed the most eye-catching of Leeds’ 14 wins this season, and it was made all the more commendable by the fact that captain Liam Cooper had been sent off in the first-half.
Creditable draws against both Liverpool and Manchester United have followed, meaning they now travel to the Amex looking likely to finish far closer to the European places than the bottom three.
“Brighton are a team that is unfairly in the bottom part of the table.
“They are a team with a very good aerial game in their set-pieces, it’s a team that constantly changes the distribution of the players on the field without it causing any problems.
“It’s a team that has the transition from defence to attack and attack to defence, very easy. They manage well with the ball and these are all aspects we need to take into account to prepare ourselves.”
Cooper remains suspended for the trip to the south coast and Raphinha will miss out due to a knock he picked up in the win against City, however, Spanish attacker Rodrigo is available for selection after recovering from a muscle injury.
Brighton won the reverse fixture at Elland Road 1-0 thanks to a rare goal from Maupay, and a repeat result on Saturday would all but end their fears of relegation. With Leeds now looking far more difficult to break down, ending a run of three games without finding the back of the net is unlikely to be a straightforward task for the Seagulls.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”59″ heading=”EPL” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”652″ heading=”Brighton and Hove Albion” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns
