Brighton and Hove Albion's stunning start to the season has propelled them into a fight for a top-four Premier League place but this tricky road trip to Fulham is a serious test of their mettle.
The Seagulls have only lost twice in the league all season and those two defeats came at Anfield and Stamford Bridge, so they will head to Craven Cottage full of confidence.
Fabian Hurzeler's side could only draw 1-1 with rock-bottom Southampton at home in their last outing, a game where the over-zealous Flynn Downes brought up a bet for our man Slips Tips.
That was a case of two points dropped for Brighton but Fulham will view their 1-1 weekend draw at Tottenham as a point gained, especially as they finished the game with 10 men after a late red card for Tom Cairney.
Marco Silva's side are ticking along nicely again this season and a win here would leave them just a point behind the high-flying Seagulls. But their home form hasn't been great, with defeats in two of their last three at Craven Cottage, so Silva will be looking for an improvement.
How the bookies view it: Too close to call
This is a tricky one to predict and it's reflected in the odds, with Kwiff pricing Fulham at 6/5 and Brighton at 13/8. The draw will be popular with punters and that pays 11/5.
Recent head to head: Fulham have hex appeal
Fulham have been a bogey team for Brighton and Hove Albion in recent years, going unbeaten across the last eight meetings. After a 1-1 draw in Brighton last term, the Cottagers eased to a 3-0 win back at Craven Cottage, bringing up a full house of bets for our man Gabriel.
Players to watch: Making Emile of it
Fulham spent big on Emile Smith-Rowe in the summer window and it looks like money well spent, with the former Arsenal midfielder making an impressive impact. He's 27/10 with Kwiff to grab a fourth goal of the season while Bet365 price him at 13/8 to either score or assist.
Kaoru Mitoma continues to dazzle on the left wing for Brighton and the Japanese star will be a menace for Fulham's defence. He's 29/10 for anytime scorer at Kwiff but an assist might be more likely and that pays 7/2 at Bet365.
Probable line-ups
Fulham captain Cairney misses out after his red card at Tottenham while fellow midfielder Sasa Lukic is also suspended after passing the yellow card threshold. Jorge Cuenca, Harrison Reed, Joachim Andersen and Vinicius look set to miss out with injuries.
Adam Webster is still crocked for Brighton while James Milner, Solly March, Ferdy Kadioglu, Jack Hinshelwood, Joel Veltman and Brajan Gruda are doubts. But they are boosted by the return of Carlos Baleba from a ban.
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Bassey, Diop, Robinson, Berge, Wilson, Iwobi, Smith-Rowe, Nelson, Jimenez.
Brighton and Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan, Baleba, Ayari, Joao Pedro, Mitoma, Rutter, Welbeck.
Anything else catch the eye?
There's very little between these sides so I'm expecting a close game and the half-time draw appeals at 5/4 with Kwiff.
In both meetings last season, Brighton came out on top in the corner count, winning 6-2 and 7-3. That suggests there could be some value in backing the Seagulls for most corners here at 7/5 with Kwiff, even though they are now under new management.
Brighton stopper Jean Paul Van Hecke has picked up yellow cards in two of his last three games so the 11/8 on offer at Bet365 for him to commit over 0.5 fouls looks pretty good value.
This English Premier League match between Fulham and Brighton and Hove Albion will be played on Dec 5, 2024 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Fulham vs Brighton and Hove Albion prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
