Fulham vs Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League preview, team news and prediction

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Two teams looking to break into the top 10 go head-to-head this weekend as eleventh meets twelfth in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon as Fulham host Brighton & Hove Albion at Craven Cottage.

This will be the first encounter between the Cottagers and the Seagulls since their 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium on the opening weekend of the season. Fulham’s recent six-game unbeaten run in the league—which included draws with Liverpool (1-1) and a win over Chelsea (2-1)—came to an end last weekend with a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Leeds United, just four months after Fulham had beaten Leeds by the same scoreline in the reverse fixture.

A stoppage-time goal from Lukas Nmecha handed Fulham their ninth league defeat of the campaign, dropping them to 11th in the table. However, they remain just four points adrift of fifth-placed Manchester United, whom they will visit at Old Trafford on February 1. Marco Silva’s side struggled offensively at Elland Road, registering only one shot on target and an xG of 0.39, with just seven touches in the Leeds penalty area—their lowest total in a Premier League match since December 2024, when they managed only three at home to Arsenal.

Looking to put that setback behind them, Fulham will be glad to return to Craven Cottage, where they have earned 64.5% of their Premier League points this season (20 out of 31), winning six of their 11 home games and scoring 19 goals. Notably, Fulham are unbeaten in all five of their Premier League home matches against Brighton (four wins, one draw), including a 3-1 victory last season, despite having previously lost three straight against the Seagulls in the Championship.

Brighton, meanwhile, have managed just one win in their last nine Premier League outings (five draws, three losses). However, since a 2-1 defeat to league leaders Arsenal on December 27, Fabian Hurzeler’s men are unbeaten in five matches across all competitions, drawing three of their last four league games against West Ham, Manchester City, and Bournemouth.

The Seagulls looked set for their first defeat of 2026 against Bournemouth on Monday, but 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas rescued a point with a spectacular stoppage-time bicycle kick, keeping Brighton in 12th place—just five points off the top five with 16 games remaining.

Brighton have developed a reputation as comeback specialists, having avoided defeat in a league-high eight matches after conceding first this season (three wins, five draws), including their last two draws against Bournemouth and Manchester City (both 1-1). However, they have found it tough to get results in London, winning only two of their last 18 Premier League away games in the capital (seven draws, nine losses), with those victories coming against Tottenham last May and Chelsea in September.

Historically, Brighton have also struggled against Fulham in the top flight, winning just one of their 11 Premier League meetings (five draws, five losses)—their lowest win rate (9%) against any team they have faced more than twice.

Fulham’s Sasa Lukic was forced off with a muscle injury during the defeat to Leeds and joins Rodrigo Muniz (thigh) on the sidelines. Kenny Tete (thigh) and Emile Smith Rowe (knock) will both be assessed ahead of kickoff to determine their availability.

However, Marco Silva is set to receive a boost with the return of Nigerian trio Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Samuel Chukwueze following their participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, and all three could be in contention for starting roles this weekend. In-form attacker Harry Wilson could feature centrally or compete for a spot out wide with Chukwueze, Kevin, Ryan Sessegnon, and Adama Traore. Raul Jimenez is expected to lead the line once again—remarkably, all five of his Premier League goals this season have put Fulham ahead, the best such record in the division.

For Brighton, Mats Wieffer (toe), Solly March, Adam Webster, and Stefanos Tzimas (all knee) remain unavailable due to injury. Maxim De Cuyper, who missed the Bournemouth draw through illness, will be assessed before the match. Fabian Hurzeler may consider recalling midfielders Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari, though Jak Hinshelwood and Pascal Gross could retain their places in the starting lineup, with veteran James Milner also an option in the middle of the park.

In attack, Hurzeler could freshen things up by handing starts to Georginio Rutter and Yankuba Minteh at the expense of Diego Gomez and Brajan Gruda, while Danny Welbeck is expected to lead the line for the Seagulls.

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