Brighton will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways when they host Everton this weekend.
The Seagulls have won just one of their last 10 Premier League matches, which has seen them drop to 12th in the table as a result.
A late goal from Harry Wilson saw Fabian Hurzeler’s side suffer their seventh defeat of the campaign against Fulham last weekend, and they will need to improve significantly if they are to get the better of Everton.
The Toffees cruised to a 2-0 win over the Seagulls earlier this season, and they will be hoping to do the double over their rivals when they travel to the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
The Brighton Base takes a look at how Hurzeler’s side are likely to line up against Everton…
Brighton predicted XI vs Everton (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper – Bart Verbruggen
The Dutchman has been one of the Seagulls’ most impressive stars this season. However, he heads into the contest on the back of shaky displays against Bournemouth and Fulham, and Verbruggen will be keen to make amends for his errors this weekend.
Defence – Joel Veltman, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Ferdi Kadioglu
In the absence of Mats Wieffer, who is still out with a toe injury, Hurzeler is yet to settle on his favoured full-back pairing. Olivier Boscagli was trialled at left-back against Fulham but struggled in the role, which could therefore see Kadioglu return to his preferred position.
Up against the pace and trickery of Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, Veltman may get the nod over Jack Hinshelwood at right-back.
Midfield – Carlos Baleba, Yasin Ayari, Pascal Gross
Ayari and Baleba have been Hurzeler’s first-choice midfield partnership throughout his tenure, and with criticism of the manager mounting from some supporters, he is likely to lean on his tried and tested duo for stability.
Brajan Gruda, Georginio Rutter and Charalampos Kostoulas are all options to play as a No. 10, but new signing Gross looks set to keep his spot as he continues to settle back on the Sussex coast.
Attack – Yankuba Minteh, Danny Welbeck, Kaoru Mitoma
With Diego Gomez an injury doubt to face Everton with a ‘small problem’, Minteh looks set to return to Brighton’s starting XI. The Gambian will be confident that he has the pace to get in behind the Everton backline, but whether his end product meets the mark remains to be seen.
The partnership between Mitoma and Kadioglu is still a work in progress down the left, which was especially highlighted against Bournemouth, but the pair could be offered another opportunity to build on that relationship this weekend.