Brighton will be hoping to truly put their poor run of form behind them when they host Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The Seagulls bounced back to winning ways last week when cruising to a 2-0 victory over Brentford, and back-to-back successes would certainly ease concerns of slipping into a relegation battle.
Fabian Hurzeler opted to deploy a solid, experienced starting XI at the Gtech Community Stadium, and it remains to be seen whether he leans on that unit once more against Vitor Pereira’s side.
Forest will arrive at the Amex Stadium with a spring in their step after progressing into the Europa League’s last-16 on Thursday night, but their Premier League form remains unconvincing.
The Brighton Base takes a look at how Hurzeler’s side may line up on Sunday afternoon…
Brighton predicted XI vs Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper – Bart Verbruggen
The Dutchman produced a handful of smart stops against Brentford, and he will be hoping to enjoy another equally quiet afternoon against Forest. If the 23-year-old continues to be utilised in build-up, he could certainly make his mark on the clash regardless.
Defence – Mats Wieffer, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Ferdi Kadioglu
There is no doubt that Brighton look a far more solid unit when Wieffer is deployed at right-back, despite his preference for playing in midfield. The ex-Feyenoord star adds a sense of assurance in possession, as well as height.
Therefore, it would be a surprise to see Hurzeler not opt for his favoured back-four whilst the quartet are all fit and available, especially at a time when he is still under fire from some supporters.
Midfield – James Milner, Pascal Gross, Jack Hinshelwood
The Seagulls have afforded Milner additional time to recover from playing 90 minutes last weekend, and that could indicate that he will remain in the heart of his side’s midfield once more.
The 40-year-old shone during that record-breaking display, and he may have been the missing piece of the puzzle in Brighton’s midfield this season. Yasin Ayari may only be fit enough to make the bench, with Carlos Baleba forced to make his mark as a substitute.
Hurzeler has plenty of options in the No. 10 role, but Hinshelwood emerged with credit in the position against Brentford, and his pressing could prove key against Forest.
Attack – Diego Gomez, Danny Welbeck, Kaoru Mitoma
In the absence of Yankuba Minteh, Gomez has slowly but surely made the right-winger position his own. His energy and determination in the position has made up for some of his weaknesses out wide recently, and he remains one of Hurzeler’s first names on the team sheet.
Up against the powerful Forest centre-back partnership of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, Brighton may look to match the pair physically with Welbeck, rather than the nippy Charalampos Kostoulas, to complete an unchanged starting XI.