Opposition Lowdown: Brighton And Hove Albion

Form

Brighton finished the 2021/22 season in an impressive ninth place – their highest-ever league position. The Seagulls started their preseason in the UK, with a goalless draw against Belgian league champions Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

They then set off on a week-long training camp in Portugal and turned on the style in a 4-1 victory against Portuguese side Estoril, with striker Neal Maupay scoring twice. Saturday’s game against Reading sees the midpoint of their preseason schedule, with further friendlies against Brentford and Espanyol lined up.

The boss

Graham Potter: the popular Englishman starts his fourth season at the Seagulls, having joined the club in May 2019 after one season managing Swansea City in the Championship. Touted as a potential future England manager, Potter has guided Brighton to 15th, 16th and ninth-placed finishes in the Premier League.

Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images

Squad

Brighton have so far kept the bulk of last season’s squad intact, with Yves Bissouma being the only major outgoing - the defensive midfielder signing for Spurs for an initial fee of £25m. Their transfer business this summer has been heavily youth-focused, bringing in two young strikers: 20-year-old Simon Adingra from Norwegian side Nordsjaelland and 18-year-old Julio Enciso from Paraguayan side Libertad.

Key player

Marc Cucurella: the highly rated Spanish left back won Brighton’s player of the season award last time out and has been linked with a summer move to Premier League champions Man City. The former Barcelona youth player signed for Albion from Spanish club Getafe last August and has put in a number of eye-catching displays for the Seagulls. The attacking full back likes to get forward and float crosses into the box, but also shows strong defensive skills, having recorded the fourth most tackles in the league last season.

One to watch

Deniz Undav: the 25-year-old German striker signed for Brighton from Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in January, but spent the remainder of the season on loan in Belgium. Undav finished as the Belgian league top scorer, scoring 26 goals and picking up the award for Belgian player of the year. He’ll be keen to make an impact in his first full season down on the south coast.