West Ham United vs Brighton & Hove Albion

London Stadium sets the stage for a handsomely-looking Premier League showdown between in-form West Ham United and European hopefuls Brighton & Hove Albion.

West Ham’s form peaked toward the end of 2023, reigniting their quest to secure a first top-four finish in the Premier League era. David Moyes’ side signed off with three consecutive league victories by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ including a 2-0 triumph at Arsenal last time out, to whittle down the gap on the top four to seven points. With a game in hand, the race is on for the ‘Hammers’ as they bid to complete their first Premier League double over Brighton following a 3-1 win in the reverse fixture. But since it was their first success in 13 Premier League H2Hs (D6, L6), they’d be well-advised to approach this contest with cautious optimism. West Ham’s effort to achieve that feat can draw inspiration from a decent-looking seven-match league form on home turf (W4, D2, L1).

Keen to stop the London outfit in their tracks, visiting Brighton won’t lack confidence after capping off a historic 2023 with a thumping 4-2 home win against Tottenham. However, manager Roberto De Zerbi knows better than to let that triumph carry him away, knowing his side went winless in three league outings beforehand (D2, L1). Kicking off 2024 in a similar vein could be on the cards for the ‘Seagulls,’ considering they’ve lost twice in their last three away league matches (D1). Brighton’s dismal run of 23 consecutive top-flight fixtures without a clean sheet substantiates the skepticism. But their Premier League away record speaks volumes (W2, D4), as does the fact they netted 2+ goals in five of those six encounters.