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West Bromwich Albion host Brighton & Hove Albion in their FA Cup third-round fixture at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
The hosts are fourth in the Championship standings and kicked off 2022 with a 1-1 draw against Cardiff City. Brighton have made it into the upper half of the Premier League standings thanks to an unbeaten run in their last three wins.
In their first game of the year, they recorded a 3-2 win over Everton in their league fixture.
West Bromwich Albion vs Brighton & Hove Albion Head-to-Head
The two clubs have gone head-to-head 26 times across all competitions. The hosts have come out victorious 11 times against Brighton while the visitors have six wins to their name. Nine games have ended in draws.
They have met twice in the FA Cup as well, with one game ending in a win for Brighton while one game has ended in a draw. They last squared off in a Premier League fixture at Saturday's venue in February last year. The game ended in a 1-0 win for the Baggies.
West Bromwich Albion form guide (Championship): D-L-D-W-W
Brighton & Hove Albion form guide (EPL): W-D-W-L-D
West Bromwich Albion vs Brighton & Hove Albion Team News
West Bromwich Albion
Matthew Phillips has been a key absentee for the hosts but is expected back in time for the FA Cup clash. Alex Mowatt and Sam Johnstone were handed three-match bans after their red cards in their clash against Cardiff City. Here are the rest of the absentees for West Brom:
- Dara O'Shea - Ankle injury
- Kean Bryan - Knee injury
- Robert Snodgrass - Back injury
Injured: Dara O'Shea, Kean Bryan, Robert Snodgrass
Doubtful: Kenneth Zohore
Suspended: Alex Mowatt, Sam Johnstone
Brighton & Hove Albion
Jeremy Sarmiento and Lewis Dunk are the two injury concerns for the Seagulls. Yves Bissouma has joined the Mali national team for the upcoming AFCON.
Injured: Jeremy Sarmiento, Lewis Dunk
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable (AFCON): Yves Bissouma
West Bromwich Albion vs Brighton & Hove Albion Predicted XI
West Brom Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): David Button; Matthew Clarke, Kyle Bartley, Cedric Kipre; Conor Townsend, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Jake Livermore, Darnell Furlong; Karlan Grant, Callum Robinson; Jordan Hugill
Brighton Predicted XI (4-4-2): Jason Steele; Marc Cucurella, Shane Duffy, Adam Webster, Tariq Lamptey; Alexis Mac Allister, Taylor Richards, Pascal Gross, Enock Mwepu; Neal Maupay, Leandro Trossard
West Bromwich Albion vs Brighton & Hove Albion Prediction
Brighton have been in good touch in their recent outings, scoring seven goals and conceding four in their last five outings. West Brom have scored four in the same period and conceded three times.
It is expected that the game will be a closely contested one but the visitors should come out on top here.
Prediction: West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
