Brighton Albion 2017/18

Brighton and Hove Albion have gone through their fair share of heartbreak in recent years but it was all worth it when they finally booked their place in the Premier League courtesy of a second place finish in last year’s Championship.

Brighton’s promotion went down well almost universally among football fans (not you, Crystal Palace fans) and a big part of the reason for that is Chris Hughton. The former Norwich and Newcastle manager is one of the most popular men in football but behind his calm exterior, he is an excellent manager.

Hughton will need to be at the very top of his game if Brighton are to have any chance of extending their stay in the Premier League beyond one season. But there are reasons to suggest that they might do just that.

Brighton have some very talented players. Anthony Knockaert was the best player in the Football League by some distance last season while Davy Propper will add some class to the midfield.

The main concern for Brighton will be scoring enough goals. Tomer Hemed and Sam Baldock will need the season of their lives to reach double figures and it’s hard to see where too many goals will come from midfield.

Still, they’ve shown they’ve got the mental fortitude for a prolonged battle against the drop and with so many teams who could finish in the bottom three, Brighton may escape.

Squad List

• Matthew Ryan
• Niki Maenpaa
• Casper Ankergren
• Bruno
• Gaetan Bong
• Uwe Hunemeier
• Lewis Dunk
• Inigo Calderon
• Connor Goldson
• Shane Duffy
• Liam Rosenior
• Fikayo Tomori
• Joshua Kerr
• Dale Stephens
• Beram Kayal
• Anthony Knockaert
• Pascal Gross
• Steve Sidwell
• Solly March
• Richie Towell
• Markus Suttner
• Davy Propper
• Kazenga LuaLua
• Jiri Skalak
• Sam Baldock
• Tomer Hemed
• Jamie Murphy
• Glenn Murray
• Isaiah Brown

Season Predictions

Nobody at Brighton is under any illusions just how tough it’s going to be for them to stay up but knowing that they are in for a fight could work to their advantage. There is no room for complacency and although they’ve got a tricky start to the season, it may help to be made immediately aware of the class of their opposition.

This is a club who are used to adversity. It’s not that long ago that they were playing in an athletics stadium in front of hundreds of people and now they’ve got a top class stadium and tens of thousands turn up to support them every week.

When you look at well run clubs like Southampton, Bournemouth and Stoke who have stayed in the Premier League after winning promotion, you see similarities with Brighton and they could become the latest team to take the big step up and stay there.

Best Bets for the Season

Brighton to avoid relegation at 4/6 with BetVictor

Brighton to finish above Watford at evens with Betfair