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Kaoru Mitoma is fit enough to start for Brighton but they are without seven players for the visit of Fulham in the Premier League.
On the back of five successive wins in all competitions, Fabian Hurzeler has made just the one enforced change to his first-team.
Yasin Ayari comes in for Tariq Lamptey, who serves a one-match suspension after his red card in the FA Cup match at Newcastle last weekend.
Jack Hinshelwood reverts to right-back, with Joel Veltman still missing due to a foot injury.
Kaoru Mitoma is fit enough to start for Brighton but they are without seven players for the visit of Fulham. Photo: George Wood / Getty ImagesKaoru Mitoma is fit enough to start for Brighton but they are without seven players for the visit of Fulham. Photo: George Wood / Getty Images
Kaoru Mitoma is fit enough to start for Brighton but they are without seven players for the visit of Fulham. Photo: George Wood / Getty Images
Joining the full-backs on the sidelines are Igor Julio (hamstring), James Milner (hamstring), Ferdi Kadioglu (toe), Lewis Dunk (rib), Jason Steele (shoulder), Matt O’Riley (knee) and Brajan Gruda (unknown).
Gruda, 21, is the only surprise absentee from the matchday squad. It remains to be seen why he is absent.
O’Riley, meanwhile, recovered from illness but now has a minor knee problem.
In a huge boost for Brighton, Mitoma was deemed fit to play. The Japan international hobbled off in the 91st minute at Newcastle with what appeared to be an injury to the left knee but Hurzeler revealed on Friday that it was cramp.
The Seagulls have been on an impressive run since their 7-0 thrashing at Nottingham Forest on February 1.
Brighton host Fulham, who are also in good form, on Saturday when another three points would lift them into the top six as the battle for European qualification intensifies.
Victory would push Brighton four points clear of Fulham, who are currently ninth and have their own European ambitions.
It’s set to be a stern test for the Seagulls at the Amex, so we asked Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, to give its score prediction.
Grok said: "Predicting the score for the Brighton v Fulham Premier League match on March 8, 2025, at the American Express Stadium involves considering current form, historical trends, and available data,” said the technology.
It then stated both are in good form and have European ambitions, before delving into goals per game statistics and injuries to both teams. It then, quite rightly, mentioned that Fulham are Brighton’s “bogey team”. They are unbeaten in their last nine meetings, winning four of the last five.
Grok then added: “Fulham’s away form is solid, with only one loss in their last nine Premier League away games, and they’ve scored in every league match since the opening day.”
After more analysis of the data, it gave its verdict in Brighton’s favour. “Given Brighton’s attacking form (23 goals in their last 10 games) and Fulham’s resilience on the road (13 goals in their last 10), both teams are likely to score,” said Grok
“However, Brighton’s home strength could tip the balance slightly. I predict a Brighton 2-1 Fulham result, reflecting Brighton’s recent scoring streak and home advantage.”
Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Webster, Estupinan, Baleba, Ayari, Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma, Joao Pedro
Subs: Rushworth, March, Adingra, Cashin, Welbeck, Gomez, Wieffer, Slater, Knight.