Brighton vs Wolves verdict, predicted score, key stats and suggested bets

Brighton play hosts to a Wolves team high on confidence following their midweek win over Crystal Palace which all-but secured their Premier League status.

Premier League, Saturday April 29, Kick-off 3pm

Brighton to win

Over 2.5 goals

Both teams to score

Brighton have picked up 40 of their 49 points against teams currently in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Brighton's defeat to Nottingham Forest was their first against a bottom-half side. They have won six and drawn one against those sides at home.

Wolves have scored in eight of their 10 away matches under Julen Lopetegui.

Wolves have won four of their last five matches to almost secure their Premier League survival.

Evan Ferguson (ankle), Tariq Lamptey (knee), Jeremy Sarmiento (foot), Adam Lallana (hamstring) and Jakub Moder (ACL) are all unavailable. Brighton's recent wasteful finishing in the box would suggest they are missing Ferguson's presence in particular.

Sasa Kalajdzic (ACL) and Chiquinho (ACL) both suffered season-ending injuries in 2022 and remain on the sidelines. Boubacar Traore (muscle) is a doubt and will be assessed nearer the time.

Wolves are healthier than they have been for a while though and so Julen Lopetegui has options to freshen things up. Despite this, wholesale changes from their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace are unlikely.

Brighton were extremely sloppy in their 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday. Roberto De Zerbi's men gave away two penalties, one of which was missed, and failed to take their chances in a game they shouldn't have lost.

The majority of Forest's xG came from penalties, with uncharacteristically slack defending from Oscar Estupinan and Lewis Dunk seeing the referee point to the spot.

Wolves fared much better in their midweek outing, beating Crystal Palace 2-0. An early own goal from Joachim Andersen and some injury-time gloss from Ruben Neves wrapped up a routine victory.

The win was Wolves' fourth in five games and moves them to 37 points in the standings, almost certainly securing their Premier League status. Lopetegui's men will therefore be able to play with more freedom at the AMEX.

Before defeat at the City Ground, Brighton had been near-perfect against sides in the bottom half. They were unbeaten in 16, winning 12 of those, collecting 40 of their 49 points from those sides.

They remain unbeaten at home against such sides with six wins and one draw to their name, so they will be hopeful of getting back on track against Wolves. The Seagulls have been below par on their travels but usually respond well at home.

Wolves' away form did briefly improve under Lopetegui, but they have failed to win in their last five. One improvement that has stuck is their goalscoring form, with the Midlands side scoring in eight of their 10 away games under him.

A defence that has been pretty faultless at Molineux has conceded in each of Wolves' last 13 away games. Their only clean sheet on the road came in a 1-0 win at Bournemouth.

Both teams finding the net is a constant feature of the visitors' away matches. Brighton have been more reliable on their own turf, but they have still conceded in half of their home fixtures.

The hosts will want to show their teeth early and give a good response to the midweek setback, while Wolves arguably have nothing to play for. Despite this, the away side should be able to express themselves and contribute to the scoring.