Brighton vs Bournemouth Prediction: South Coast sizzler expected

We’ve got a midweek South Coast sizzler heading our way on Tuesday night as Brighton host Bournemouth (19:30, TNT Sports 3) with both clubs still trying to fight for European places this season. The Cherries surprisingly slipped up when they lost 1-0 at home to Wolves this weekend, and so they will be desperate to avoid back-to-back losses as they look to keep up the pressure on the top four. 

Below you can find my Brighton vs Bournemouth predictions featuring team news and betting tips.

Team News 

Given they absolutely hammered Southampton last time out, Fabian Hurzeler may name an unchanged team from the weekend. He’s also pretty limited on the changes he can make, especially at the back where Lewis Dunk, Igor, Jason Steele and Ferdi Kadioglu all remain out of action. 

Jack Hinshelwood and Pervis Estupinan should start at full-back once again with Bart Verbruggen in goal, protected by Adam Webster and Jan Paul van Hecke. James Milner is on the road to recovery from his hamstring issue, so expect Carlos Baleba, and breakout star Yasin Ayari to get another start in the middle. 

Kaoru Mitoma, Georginio Rutter, Yankuba Minteh and Joao Pedro should continue as the attacking quartet, given they sliced Saints open with ease. 

On the other hand, Andoni Iraola may choose to shake things up after a poor display against Wolves. They will definitely have to make a change at the back as Illia Zabarnyi was sent off in that recent defeat, while fellow defender Marcos Senesi is out injured. 

It means Lewis Cook may be called upon to do a job in the back line, with James Hill, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez likely to make up the rest of the back four. Enes Unal is out for the rest of the season so Dango Ouattara, Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo will try to do damage at the top end of the pitch. 

Brighton vs Bournemouth Odds

Brighton are priced at 21/20 to win this game, having picked up 18 points at home this season. That gives them an implied win probability of 48%, with a draw priced up at 5/2. Bournemouth meanwhile have the fifth-best away record this term and are 9/4 to take the points at the Amex. 

Over 2.5 goals has come in during 17 of Brighton’s 26 matches so far and is now priced at 4/7, while BTTS is 8/15. That means Betfred are expecting goals, with Joao Pedro the favourite to open the scoring at 11/2, having hit six goals so far this term. 

Bet Builder: Joao Pedro and Justin Kluivert to score @ 13/2

Let’s kick things off with a Bet Builder and one I am happy to back at 13/2. Now this game looks like an incredibly tough one to call, which is why I’m steering away from predicting the match result in my first selection. Instead, I think we can back plenty of goals at the Amex, given what we have seen from both of these teams this season. BTTS has come in during 65 per cent of Brighton’s fixtures, and 58 per cent of Bournemouth’s games, so it is likely to land here.

However, the odds on offer for that are too short for me to back, so instead I’ve picked out two in-form forwards to find the net. I’ll plump for Joao Pedro from Brighton given he found the net against Southampton and looks certain to start. He has had 14 shots on target this term, scoring six, and we’d like him to get those numbers up at home on Tuesday night. 

Meanwhile, Bournemouth’s main man this season has been Kluivert, and he has 11 goals to his name this term from 26 shots on target. He isn’t shy when it comes to firing in efforts which is worth considering if you are putting together a Bet Builder, but I just feel he can find the net in this one, having failed to score in his last three. 

Correct score - Brighton 2-2 Bournemouth @ 10/1

Given the strength of both teams, I think a score draw is the most likely outcome on the South Coast. As I’ve already suggested, I don’t think a clean sheet for either defence is likely, especially when you consider that Bournemouth are missing key players at the back. 

Having said that, Iraloa has been one of the best managers of the season and he is good at finding solutions. With their attacking power, I think we could see a front-footed away performance from the Cherries. Therefore, I think there could be value in backing the 2-2 at 10/1.

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