Brighton predicted line-up vs. Fulham: five major changes made as key striker returns to squad

European hopefuls Brighton will look to bounce back from their FA Cup exit to Wolves when they take on Fulham in the Premier League.

The Seagulls currently find themselves in seventh position and have so far done a steady job of juggling the demands of Europa League and Premier League football.

However, their performances have perhaps lacked the consistency that we saw last term and this was perhaps best encapsulated just over a month ago by a 4-0 loss to Luton at the end of January, which was instantly followed by a 4-1 victory against rivals Crystal Palace a week later.

At their best Roberto De Zerbi’s men have been one of the great entertainers of the division and they are just one of three clubs to have scored four or more goals in five separate Premier League games along with title challengers Arsenal and Liverpool.

Much of this spark has been down to the creative nature of Japanese international Karou Mitoma, but De Zerbi’s men will now have to react to life without the exciting winger after he was ruled out for the rest of the season with injury.Ahead of kick-off we take a look at the predicted lineup for Brighton and their London counterparts Fulham.

Brighton team news

Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour misses the trip to Craven Cottage through suspension after his red card against Everton last week. He joins injury-hit Solly March, Jack Hinshelwood, James Milner and Joao Pedro on the sidelines, along with the aforementioned Mitoma, who is unlikely to return this season.

In brighter news for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, the likes of Evan Ferguson, Joel Veltman and Tariq Lamptey are all pushing to return after missing out in midweek. De Zerbi faces a number of key selection decisions as he looks to end a seven game winless streak against Fulham in the Premier League.

Brighton predicted XI: Verbruggen, Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan, Gross, Baleba, Adringra, Lallana, Buonanotte, Ferguson

Fulham team news

Fulham are without key midfielder Joao Palhinha as he serves the second game of a two-match suspension. Willian, who missed the victory over Manchester United last weekend, will be assessed. Raul Jimenez is not expected to return until the end of March as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Fulham predicted XI: Lenon, Castagne, Tosin, Bassey, Robinson, Cairney, Lukic, Wilson, Perreira, Iwobi, Munoz