- The home team won three of their last five matches, including an emphatic 5-0 win over Everton and a 2-1 away victory at Ipswich.
- West Ham United U21 drew two, lost two and won one of their last five Premier League 2 games.
- The only Premier League 2 match between the clubs this season finished 3-3, continuing a trend of high-scoring affairs.
U21s clash is a Premier League 2 playoff with prizes at both ends
Brighton & Hove Albion U21 will host West Ham United U21 in a Premier League 2 playoff quarter-final at the Amex Elite Performance Centre on Monday that has the prize of progression or elimination at stake.
These two academies have put a lot into development and getting young players into the first team lately, so there could be plenty of firepower on display in this youth showdown.
Shannon Ruth’s U21 side have adopted a progressive system and play a patient, possession-based game based on the 4-2-3-1, which can be incredibly effective when they get the ball in wide areas or central zones.
Ruth’s blueprint has produced some impressive results and high-scoring wins, but can leave the Seagulls vulnerable to counter-attacks, as was the case when Fulham came to Brighton and left with a 3-4 win.
But it was the Albion that blitzed Everton 5-0 and they seem to have momentum heading into this clash of styles with the Hammers’ 4-3-3 system.
West Ham have edge in H2H record, but Brighton have sharper attack
Mark Robson’s side are more direct and like to play through the thirds in transition, so it should be an end-to-end clash of two systems that have both been incredibly effective this season.
Both clubs are on 30 points from 20 Premier League 2 matches this term, but Brighton have a slightly superior goal difference (+13 compared to West Ham’s +9) and look to be the sharper of the two in the final third.
Nehemiah Oriola is the team’s top scorer and chief creator in PL2 this term, as well as a creative link to the strikers, but Brighton will get goals from all over the pitch with Joe Belmont and Shane Nti the other key components in recent wins.
Josh Landers leads the line for West Ham with seven PL2 goals, but this side have a genuine box-to-box midfielder in Mohamadou Kanté, who has three to his name and can score goals, break up opposition play and provide plenty of energy.
Behind him, Ryan Battrum and keeper Finlay Herrick provide the defensive steel and ability to save important shots, while at the other end, West Ham have enough players to create overloads and cause havoc on the counter.
Expect another high-scoring clash of Premier League 2 elite
West Ham have the slight edge in the head-to-head record, with multiple wins and several draws, but Brighton have matched their goal output in recent open, end-to-end matches the teams have played.
The home side are favourites at 119/100, but the away side are not far behind at 163/100, while the draw is 139/50 - reflecting just how tight this contest could be for progression into the next round.
We’re going to stick with the draw, or a narrow win for Robson’s men, because of their historical edge in the H2Hs and recent ability to score multiple goals away from home.
The Over 2.5 goals market is a very short 9/25 for a reason because this clash of attacking styles should produce goals at both ends, particularly in cool, cloudy conditions that could leave the pitch slick for transition play.
