Brighton predicted line-up vs Brentford: two key changes made including £2.5m star as injury crisis deepens

Brighton & Hove Albion came away from Stamford Bridge without any points to show for it last weekend, narrowly falling to a 3-2 defeat in an exhilarating contest against Chelsea. The hosts found themselves two goals up after just 20 minutes, before an emphatic finish from Facundo Buonanotte saw the Seagulls pull one back. The Blues were reduced to ten men before half-time as stand-in skipper Conor Gallagher received two bookings, but made it 3-1 on the hour mark after Enzo Fernandes confidently slotted home a penalty. Joao Pedro's stoppage time goal made for a thrilling finish, but Mauricio Pochettino's side managed to hold on to claim all three points. Roberto De Zerbi will be eager for his side to put their disappointment behind them, and will have the ideal opportunity to return to winning ways with a home fixture against Brentford. The last time the two sides met, towards the tail end of last season, they played out a six-goal thriller, with the points shared in a 3-3 draw. Ahead of Wednesday evening, here is the latest Brighton team news and injury list, as well as our predicted XI to face the Bees:

Brighton team news and injury updates

Brighton will be without a number of key players to take on Brentford. Star man Pervis Estupiñán still has no return date after suffering an injury relapse early on during the side's 2-0 win away to Ajax last month. Tariq Lamptey remains a long-term injury concern, while Adam Webster is not expected to recover from a knock until at least this weekend. Completing the hosts of defensive woes is skipper Lewis Dunk, who is serving the final game of his suspension. It's a similarly tricky situation in midfield, as De Zerbi looks to juggle the side's appearances both in Europe and domestically with an increasingly hefty injury list. Solly March still has no expected return date from a knee injury, and it's the same story for star loanee Ansu Fati. Julio Encisco is another Seagulls star expected to be out for a considerable length of time, as he continues to nurse a knee injury suffered back in the early stages of the campaign. Like Dunk, bargain summer signing Mahmoud Dahoud misses out through suspension, but will also be available for selection when Burnley visit the Amex this Saturday. De Zerbi's front-line is largely unaffected by injury concerns, but he's still without Danny Welbeck, who has no expected return date on the cards at present.

Goalkeeper and defence

Predicting a Brighton starting line-up is an increasingly tricky task - just ask any player of Fantasy Premier League. Rotating goalkeepers is a growing tend in England's top tier, and it's not easy to predict whether De Zerbi will stick or twist with Jason Steele against Brentford. We flipped a coin - full disclosure, it was actually a wooden coaster with one noticeably grubbier side - and it came up Bart Verbruggen. Let's hope Brighton's boss has more scientifically rigorous methods of making big decisions. The Seagulls may go with an unchanged back four to take on the Bees, with Jack Hinshelwood and Joel Veltman in the full-backs positions, flanking Igor and Jan Paul van Hecke in Dunk's absence.

Midfield and attack

In midfield, Pascal Groß could be handed a start alongside Carlos Baleba, after Billy Gilmour played the full ninety minutes - plus a serious amount of stoppage time - against his former club last time out. There's a case to be made for Buonanotte to keep his starting spot for the visit of Brentford, and he could line up in a dynamic attacking midfield trio alongside both Kaoru Mitoma and Adam Lallana. Up front, Pedro may be given the nod ahead of Evan Ferguson, after his aforementioned goal against Chelsea. That said, De Zerbi could opt to field both Pedro and Ferguson, as he did in their recent Europa League win over AEK Athens, but this seems unlikely given the packed fixture list and lack of alternative options currently at his disposal beyond the duo. Brighton predicted XI: Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Igor, Veltman; Groß, Baleba; Buonanotte, Lallana, Mitoma; Pedro.