Although it is very early, West Ham United are surpassing most people’s expectations. Many believed that selling team Captain Declan Rice would lead to their demise, especially since they finished lower table last season anyway, but so far they’ve been a pleasant surprise.
Now they’re taking on the club that is the new Borussia Dortmund, at least when it comes to the concept of buying low and selling high.
West Ham United at Brighton FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. August 26, 5:30 pm, Falmer Stadium, Brighton & Hove, UK
West Ham Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Brighton 64% West Ham 17% Draw 19%
PL Form, Position: Brighton WW, 3 pts, 8th West Ham WD, 4 pts, 7th
A recent transfer value study showed that Brighton have an overwhelming majority of the top ten players in the league whose transfer market value increased the most since they made their PL debut.
Look for Brighton to eventually sell those players, like they did with Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister, at a nice profit down the road. Brighton isn’t just a club that has broken through, they are a club that is here to stay, and going places.
That is another story for another time though.
In getting to forecasting West Ham’s team for this clash, it is kind of self-explanatory. Danny Ings, Maxwel Cornet, Lukasz Fabianski and Aaron Cresswell should all start on the bench here, as they’ll be cup competition/squad players for David Moyes in 2023-24.
The east London club has four competitions to be concerned with this term.
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction at Brighton
Alphonse Areola; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna, Emerson Palmieri; Tomas Soucek, James Ward-Prowse; Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Said Benrahma; Michail Antonio
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.