Fabian Hürzeler eyes continued dominance at the Amex as injury-plagued Brighton protect a stellar home record against a new-look Leeds side missing key defender Joe Rodon.
Brighton and Hove Albion take on Leeds United at the Amex Stadium this afternoon, and it won't be an easy one.
Start of the season and head-to-head...
The Seagulls have started the season pretty well, having won against two of their first three competitive opponents.
A disappointing result at Stamford Bridge, but a somewhat positive second-half performance was enough to keep the fans' spirits high, and Fabian Hürzeler will be hoping he can continue the strong start to the season and Albion's impressive home record.
Brighton also love to play against Leeds, especially at home. Leeds have visited the south coast 15 times since the Amex opened in 2011, and have won just three games, compared to Brighton's nine.
The Seagulls also have the upper hand at Elland Road, having won five, drawn six of 15 encounters.
Brighton's last home game was their 4-0 win over Tromsø in the Europa Conference League, after their Premier League season opener against Aston Villa, which also ended 4-0.
Albion have hit the ground running at the Amex, and both games followed a very similar trend. Blowing the team away quickly off the blocks and consolidated their advantage in the second half by keeping the ball well and killing off any momentum for the opposition.
A fast start would be welcomed this afternoon, but as aforementioned, it won't be easy. Leeds have made many changes over the summer transfer window.
Team news for the Albion (and Leeds)...
Despite a busy deadline day to seal the signing of Femi Azeez from Millwall, Brighton will be without their new winger because of a hamstring injury he sustained for Millwall at the start of the season. There is hope that he will return sooner rather than later.
Fellow new signing Chema Andrés could be in line to make his debut, however. The Spanish midfielder completed his move from Stuttgart in a last-minute deal on the final day of the window.
Jack Hinshelwood, Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma, Stefanos Tzimas and Evan Ferguson are all sidelined with longer-term injuries. Zadok Yohanna could also miss out after undergoing a scan during the week.
Mats Wieffer is set to miss up to a couple of months with a freak knee injury. When the ball struck his face at Stamford Bridge, his knee gave way. A nasty one for Wieffer.
As one door shuts, another one opens. This could open the opportunity for Costinha or Hadjam to make their first starts of the season.
Georginio Rutter could return to face his former side, while Yasin Ayari is still in doubt about returning. Perhaps we could see another glimpse of Matt O'Riley, who was kept on deadline day despite reports.
The biggest news for Leeds is that their star defender, Joe Rodon, is set for some time on the sidelines after a forced exit in the 33rd minute against Brentford.
It is truly incredible that I am writing this many injuries after two Premier League games of the season, but here we are!
Overall prediction:
Albion should return to winning ways this afternoon.
Granted, Leeds have made some good signings and beat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground twice in their first two games of the season, and drew 1-1 last time out against a positive Brentford side. Brighton will be wanting to win these types of games to push on this season.
The Seagulls have been through something of a squad rebuild this summer, and it will be exciting to see how the new faces kick on.
Prediction: 3-1 to the Albion.
