Brentford v Brighton Tips: Back at least three goals in Friday night thriller
By Robin Bairner
Latest Premier League odds13 October 2022
Friday night football returns to the Premier League as Brentford play host to Brighton in a battle between two sides that have now established themselves in the top flight.
The prospect of a relegation battle for either this time around looks rather distant. The Seagulls sit seventh on 14 points despite having played just eight games, while the Bees are comfortably placed in mid-table.
Both teams enter this game off the back of a defeat, but it is Brighton who head the market at 2.46 to take all three points.
Looking for a response
Brentford suffered a chastening 5-1 defeat against Newcastle last weekend, which ranks as their biggest loss in their relatively brief Premier League history. Bouncing back is rarely a problem for the Bees - they are yet to lose back-to-back league matches this season. Indeed, they haven’t lost consecutive games since being on the wrong end of results against Arsenal and Newcastle in February.
Brentford’s home record this season stands up well to scrutiny. They have recorded two wins, which include a 4-0 success against Manchester United, in four matches at the Gtech Community Stadium, while their sole defeat came against league leaders Arsenal.
Brighton promise to be a difficult opponent for them, though. Thomas Frank’s side lost both games against the Seagulls last season and have won only one in their last six in the head-to-head matchups.
Brighton in transition
Brighton find themselves in something of a transitional period following the departure of manager Graham Potter, who joined Chelsea. His replacement is exciting Italian Roberto De Zerbi, who is still searching for his first win after watching his side in a thrilling 3-3 away draw against Liverpool and a disappointing 1-0 home defeat in Tottenham.
On top of their management change, the club have been rocked this week by the shock retirement of midfielder Enock Mwepu. The 24-year-old, who has hung up his boots aged just 24 due to a hereditary heart condition, has featured in six of the club’s first eight games this season and created a goal in his final match, a 5-2 win over Leicester in early September.
Trips to London have been generally successful for Brighton as they have lost just one of their last eight games in the capital.
Back the Bees to sting
Although history might point to this being a rather close-fought match, De Zerbi has shown an appetite for his teams to play attacking football in previous jobs, a style that was adopted in the 3-3 draw against Liverpool a fortnight ago.
The Bees’ four home games have yielded a total of 16 goals, three of which produced more than 2.5 goals. At 2.08 with SBK, over 2.5 goals looks good value here.
It’s also worth backing the home side in the ‘Draw No Bet’ market given their strong home record this season. Available at 2.22, this option provides punters with a secondary bet above even-money that can produce the goods.