| Preview: Brighton vs Southampton | After a sublime Sofiane Boufal solo goal last weekend, Mauricio Pellegrino will be looking to record back-to-back … 28-10-2017 |
Brighton boss Chris Hughton is cautious of a Saints side he knows can bring the Seagulls crashing back down to earth following last week’s impressive victory at West Ham.
Albion were stout in defence at the London Stadium, with Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk repelling £16million striker Javier Hernandez, and clinical in attack, as two goals from Glenn Murray and one from Jose Izquierdo sealed a 3-0 win.
Hughton has called for a similar performance at both ends of the field tomorrow when they welcome Saints to the Amex Stadium.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s men have struggled for consistency this season, but will be eyeing back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since April, having edged out West Brom last weekend.
Hughton said: "They’re a very good side on the ball. They have a lot of ability and play in a certain way - I don’t think they’ll change their expansive style.
"In their last game, they played with two very good players up front (Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadini). We’ll be very conscious that we have to defend well, because they’re very good offensively.
"If we want to win the game, then the onus is on us to put pressure on them and allow ourselves opportunities to score goals.
“Southampton are a wonderfully-gifted team, and that makes it a very dangerous game.”
If Brighton are to keep Saints in check then they may need another commanding display from goalkeeper Mathew Ryan.
The Australian arrived on the south coast for a then club record transfer fee from Valencia in June and has steadily grown into the number one role, leaving fellow summer signing Tim Krul kicking his heels on the substitutes’ bench.
Ryan was one of the standout performers against Everton in a 1-1 draw two weeks ago, while West Ham failed to find a way past the 25-year-old last Friday.
Hughton added: "He knows the reason why we brought him in, because of what we’d seen him do over the last few seasons and how we liked that.
"Going back to the Everton game without a couple of very good saves, it’s a game we could have lost.
“There can’t be anything better for a goalkeeper than to be on the back of a clean sheet, so I’m really delighted for him.”
Hughton has a near fully-fit squad to choose from, with Steve Sidwell the only absentee as he continues his recovery from a back injury.
Fellow midfielder Beram Kayal and forward Sam Baldock could be included in the match-day squad for the first time this season after their recoveries from a broken leg and calf surgery respectively.
Striker Tomer Hemed is in contention to return to the starting line-up after completing a three-game suspension for violent conduct.
Liverpool were desperate to sign Van Dijk in the summer window but could not convince Southampton to sell the Dutch centre-back.
The Reds failed to bring in another centre-half and are expected to renew their interest in Van Dijk in January after shambolic performances at the back this season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have already conceded 16 goals in their opening nine Premier League games, which has seen them fall 12 points behind in the title race.
And Paddy Power believe the more mistakes Liverpool make in defence, the most Van Dijk’s valuation rises.
Sofiane Boufal’s stunning late winner against West Brom earned Southampton a first league win of the month last time out and fellow forward Gabbiadini is keen to see the feel-good factor around Staplewood continue into this weekend’s encounter.
“You always get a boost from a good performance or a great goal like that," he said, “especially if you have been watching on, waiting for your chance like Sofiane had."
It was a moment that certainly did not come as a surprise to Manolo who knows all too well of his creative colleague’s mercurial talent.
“He is a sensational footballer. He is lacking a little bit of consistency at the moment but I have to say that he is up there as one of the best technical players that I have ever worked with. He can do anything he wants with the ball.”
Brighton now stand between Saints and back-to-back Premier League victories it what should be considered as a must-win game in the eyes of the Italian.
“They showed against West Ham that they never give up, and that applies to every side in the top flight. It doesn’t matter who you face in England – it could be Man City, it could be a team in League 1 or League 2 – if you’re not committed then you will lose.
“We need to win. You can do that by being more aggressive or less aggressive, having more of the ball or less of the ball. Ultimately, after a good result, everyone feels better and the details are less important.
“Our target has to be to enter the international break with six points from these next two matches. We want to end this little period on a high.”
Although a further step forwards at the Amex Stadium would have Saints looking upwards at the top eight, Gabbiadini insisted that his side’s objective for the campaign remain unchanged: to work hard and be able to look back in May with pride.
“Our target this season is to finish as high as we can. If we have the quality and expectation to finish fifth, tenth of fifteenth then that’s where we ought to finish.
“The most important thing is that we put ourselves in a position where we can look back on the season and know that we gave our all. That is the only way that we and the fans can be satisfied with what we have achieved.”
And a word on former Atalanta team-mate Ezequiel Schelotto, now of Brighton?
“Schelo is a good player, he was impressive in our year together in Bergamo, joining Inter the following season. He never stops running, so it will be an interesting battle between him and Bertrand down our left.
“I have fond memories of him but I hope he struggles on Sunday!”
Saints v Brighton & Hove Albion reached its peak as a derby during their race for the League One title in 2010/11.
It was a rivalry famously stoked when Brighton fans took umbrage at a throwaway line from former Saints boss Nigel Adkins.
When asked whether Saints and Brighton at the end of the season would be the League One frontrunners following their goalless draw at St Mary’s in November 2010, Adkins famously replied: “Well, if they can keep with us, maybe.”
Four months later, Brighton were top by some distance when they hosted Saints at The Withdean.
Midfielder Gary Dicker showed that Seagulls have long memories, saying: “I don’t think we have ever been chasing them, but when you hear stuff like that it gives us an extra bit of motivation.
“We are ten points clear so it’s up to the rest to catch us.”
Sure enough, Brighton went on to win League One, but only after their manager at the time, Gus Poyet, likened Saints’ playing style to that of Dagenham & Redbridge.
They also beat Saints 3-0 in the first season at the Amex, but it was not enough to prevent Adkins’ side from achieving a second successive promotion, this time as champions, into the Premier League.
Six years later, acquaintances are about to be renewed as Saints and Brighton prepare to play each other for the first time in six seasons.
These are the last nine matches between the biggest clubs on the south coast.
Brighton 0 Saints 3, League Cup, (September 11, 2001)
The first meeting between the sides for 15 years was overshadowed by the events of 9/11 just a few hours earlier.
James Beattie gave Saints the lead on the stroke of half-time at Withdean, ending a 314-minute goal drought.
Anders Svensson scored his first two Saints goals in the second half as the visitors secured their first win under caretaker-manager Stuart Gray to book their place in the next round of the Worthington Cup.
Ricardo Fuller and Richard Chaplow scored in each half as Saints completed the league double against Brighton for the first time since 1954/55, when the clubs were in Division Three (South).
The match was overshadowed by an unseemly spat between Clive Woodward and Leon Crouch, with Saints in turmoil off the field following their relegation from the Premier League a year earlier.
The Seagulls were relegated as the Championship’s bottom club a few months later, while Saints finished in mid-table.
Saints 1 Brighton 3, League One (November 15, 2009)
Brighton were 2-0 up after just 22 minutes of Gus Poyet’s first game in charge of the Seagulls, thanks to a brace from Glenn Murray, whose partnership with Nicky Forster ran the Saints defence ragged.
Rickie Lambert pulled one back from the penalty spot just before half-time, but midfielder Andrew Crofts secured the win with a late third for the visitors.
“This was a bit of a kick in the pants and we need to learn from it,” said Saints boss Alan Pardew.
“Brighton came out fired up and up for it as we expected – but we didn’t deal with it.”
Brighton 2 Saints 2, League One (April 1, 2010)
The home side took the lead in each half through Elliott Bennett and Ashley Barnes, but had to settle for a point as Saints twice hit back.
Dean Hammond, a former Brighton player, levelled just before half-time and Lee Barnard equalised in the 89th minute.
This Easter fixture, in front of a Withdean crowd of 7,784, was in stark contrast to Saints’ previous game – the 4-1 win against Carlisle United in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final at Wembley four days earlier.
Southampton 0 Brighton 0, League One (November 23, 2010) Kelvin Davis saved a late penalty from Chris Wood as Saints took a point off the league leaders.
Saints boss Nigel Adkins said: "I think we dominated the game. We were on the front foot from the beginning, we played the game on our terms against an exceptionally good footballing side.”
Saints celebrate their dramatic late winner at The Withdean in April 2011
Saints climbed into second place behind the Seagulls after this dramatic win against a Brighton side playing their penultimate game at The Withdean before moving to the Amex the following season.
Ashley Barnes gave the home side the lead on the stroke of half-time following a poor backpass from Radhi Jaidi in David Connolly hit the 84th-minute equaliser before Jose Fonte stunned the home side in the 89th minute, by heading in a Kelvin Davis free-kick.
It was after this match that Brighton manager Gus Poyet stoked the rivalry further.
“I said a few weeks ago, with all respect to both teams, they play the same kind of football as Dagenham & Redbridge,” said Poyet. “They only defend, they go Lambert.
“If you give to Dagenham & Redbridge Barnard and Lambert I can say to you that Dagenham will be top six.”
Southampton 3 Brighton 0, Championship (November 19, 2011) Rickie Lambert struck a hat-trick, including two penalties, after Mauricio Taricco, Brighton’s assistant manager and veteran left-back, was sent off in the 56th minute for his appeals against the decision to give the first.
A 19 year-old Lewis Dunk was penalised for bringing down Jose Fonte, but it was clearly outside the area.
The visitors’ ten men folded after Lambert send Steve Harper the wrong way.
Afterwards, Richard Chaplow tweeted: “Taricco left the pitch saying he had me and @adlallana1 in his pocket! Haha what a belter now get back on that sunbed with your zimmer frame.”
Afterwards he added: “I do respect Taricco for Wat he has achieved in his career by just cant take the him seriously always has to argue hence why he got sent off.”
Adam Lallana tweeted: “Gr8 result for us today, fans sung their heart out, taricco made me laugh when he got sent off, would of been wiser to #acthisage”
points better off.”
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1.30pm GMT
Amex Stadium
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