(Football news) In their first top-tier match of the year, Wolves will look to win the Premier League for a record-tying fourth time, while Brighton will be playing again after a two-week vacation. Brighton will now look to continue where they left off, having gone four games without a loss either side of the New Year, after resting over a warm weather training camp in Dubai last week.
Despite having only three victories in their previous 14 games, the Seagulls’ most recent home game saw them defeat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 after an away draw with archrivals Crystal Palace; their 2024 season began with a scoreless draw with West Ham.
Having finally kept their first Premier League clean sheet of the season, Roberto De Zerbi’s men then went on to beat Stoke City 4-2 in the Potteries, securing a place in the FA Cup fourth round, where they will meet Sheffield United.
A second-half Joao Pedro brace saw Brighton past Championship opposition in the cup, and they now return from their two-week hiatus with a game against opponents they have recently dominated in the top flight.
The south coast side have taken maximum points from their last four league games against Wolves – as many times as in the previous 19 – including 4-1 and 6-0 victories in the clubs’ meetings last year.
Furthermore, De Zerbi has won all of his previous encounters with Monday’s visitors by an aggregate scoreline of 13-3; in stark contrast, Wolves boss Gary O’Neil has lost all three of his Premier League matches versus Brighton.
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