Match Preview
Fulham vrs Brighton and Hove Albion
Premier League Match Day 23 25_26 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 24th January 2026, KO: 15:00
Referee:
Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
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Fulham welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon in a clash between 11th and 12th in the Premier League.
The Cottagers and the Seagulls butt heads for the first time since the opening weekend of the season in August when they played out a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium.
Fulham’s six-game unbeaten run in the Premier League - picking up points against Liverpool (1-1) and Chelsea (2-1) - was ended last weekend, as they suffered a slender 1-0 defeat away against Leeds United, four months after winning the reverse fixture by the same scoreline.
Lukas Nmecha’s 91st-minute winner condemned the Cottagers to their ninth league loss of the campaign and they have subsequently slipped down to 11th in the table, albeit just four points behind fifth-placed Man United who they will face at Old Trafford on February 1.
Marco Silva’s side finished the defeat to Leeds with just a single shot on target in 90 minutes and generated an xG of 0.39, while they also had just seven touches in Leeds’ penalty box, their fewest in a Premier League match since December 2024 when they had only three at home against Arsenal.
Keen to swiftly move on from their Elland Road setback, Fulham will welcome a return to Craven Cottage this weekend, as they have accumulated 64.5% of their Premier League points on home soil this season (20/31), winning six of those games out of 11 and scoring 19 goals in the process.
The Cottagers head into their contest against Brighton with an unbeaten record in all five of their Premier League home encounters with the Seagulls (W4 D1) - including a 3-1 success last season - having previously lost three in a row against them in the Championship.
Brighton have only won one of their last nine Premier League games (D5 L3), but since losing 2-1 away against leaders Arsenal on December 27, the Seagulls have put together a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions, drawing three of their last four top-flight matches with West Ham, Man City and Bournemouth.
Fabian Hurzeler’s men were on course to suffer their first defeat of 2026 at home to the Cherries on Monday before 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas scored a superb bicycle kick in second-half stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw for the 12th-placed Seagulls, who sit only five points behind the top five with 16 games still to play.
Brighton are building a reputation as comeback specialists, as they have avoided defeat in a division-high eight Premier League matches when conceding the first goal so far this season (W3 D5), coming from behind to draw their last two against Bournemouth and Man City (both 1-1).
However, the Seagulls have struggled to grind out positive results in the capital, as they have won only two of their last 18 Premier League away matches against London clubs (D7 L9), with those two wins coming against Tottenham in May last season and Chelsea in September.
Against Saturday’s opponents Fulham, Brighton have won just one of their 11 top-flight meetings (D5 L5), their lowest win rate against any team they have faced more than twice (9%).
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Fulham are unbeaten in all five of their Premier League home games against Brighton (W4 D1), having lost three in a row against them in the Championship beforehand.
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Brighton have won just one of their 11 Premier League games against Fulham (D5 L5), their lowest win rate against any side they’ve faced more than twice (9%).
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Fulham’s 1-0 defeat at Leeds last time out ended their six game unbeaten run in the Premier League. Meanwhile, the Cottagers haven’t failed to score in consecutive league matches since May 2024.
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Only Aston Villa (180) and Tottenham (178) have had more high turnovers against them than Fulham (162) in the Premier League this season, while at the other end of the pitch the Cottagers have forced fewer high turnovers than any other side (91).
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All five of Raúl Jiménez’s Premier League goals have put Fulham one goal ahead in the match this season, the highest such 100% record of any player this term.
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Brighton have won just two of their last 18 Premier League away games against London sides (D7 L9), with those wins coming at Spurs in May last season, and Chelsea in September.
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righton have won just one of their last nine Premier League games (D5 L3), beating Burnley 2-0 earlier this month. It’s a run that has seen them drop from 5th down to 12th in the league table.
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Brighton have avoided defeat in a league-high eight Premier League games when conceding the first goal so far this season (W3 D5), coming from behind to draw their last two games 1-1 (vs Man City and Bournemouth).
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Despite having the fifth youngest average starting XI in the Premier League this season (25y 242d), only Burnley (43) have given more starts to players aged 34+ than Brighton (27) this term.
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No centre back has been involved in more Premier League goals this season than Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke (5 – 3 goals, 2 assists), with the Dutchman assisting Charalampos Kostoulas’ late equaliser against Bournemouth last time out.
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Source Oliver Thomas at SportsMole