Brighton & Hove Albion vs Ajax

Amex Stadium is the venue as Brighton & Hove Albion and Ajax lock horns in their first-ever Europa League showdown.

Brighton’s first-ever campaign in Europe has started poorly, as they lost 3-2 to AEK Athens in their maiden European fixture on home soil before hauling back a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 at Marseille in their previous Group B outing. With table-topping AEK still only three points clear, the ‘Seagulls’ remain in contention for knockout progression, yet a five-game winless run in all competitions (D2, L3) cannot inspire much confidence. Manager Roberto De Zerbi was left frustrated as Solly March and Danny Welbeck succumbed to injuries during a 2-1 Premier League defeat at Manchester City last weekend, with an intense schedule starting to take its toll. Regardless of the outcome, the Amex crowd should enjoy another entertaining fixture, with Brighton’s 12 matches this season producing a whopping 50 goals!

In the meantime, Ajax’s disastrous start to the season has been one of the major talking points in European football, with an embarrassing eight-game winless run (D3, L5) spelling the end of manager Maurice Steijn’s regime in Amsterdam. A goal-glutted 4-3 defeat at Utrecht last weekend left Ajax stranded in the Eredivisie automatic relegation places, highlighting the importance of getting a result in East Sussex. The visitors have drawn both Europa League games this season despite taking the lead inside the opening half an hour of play on both occasions. It’s up to caretaker boss Hedwiges Maduro to arrest Ajax’s four-game winless run on the road – their longest such streak since 2013! Defensive frailties have seen the ‘Lancers’ concede 3+ goals on two of their last three travels.