Brighton & Hove Albion

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth have claimed the edge in the battle for sixth place in the Premier League - and what could be the strangest Champions League spot yet.

The in-form Cherries' 3-0 win over Crystal Palace helped them overtake Brentford into that position.

Sixth will earn a Europa League place at the very least, with some of the contenders having never qualified for Europe before.

However, both elements needed for sixth place to become a Champions League spot seem quite plausible.

Aston Villa would need to finish in fifth, exactly where they currently reside, and win the Europa League. They trail Nottingham Forest 1-0 after the semi-final first leg, but they are at home for Thursday's return leg.

This scenario will only play out if Villa finish fifth - and not in the top four or below fifth - because of a quirk in Uefa's rules.

The Premier League landed a fifth Champions League place because of the English teams' performances in Europe - something called the European Performance Spot (EPS).

So if Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth, that EPS spot would be passed down to the team in sixth, who would qualify for the Champions League.

However if Villa finish in the top four, winning the Europa League would make no difference to any other English team and the sixth-placed finisher would qualify for the Europa League.

With Aston Villa six points clear in fifth, sixth place appears to be the highest any of the other teams could finish.

At the moment, Bournemouth are on 52 points - one point clear of Brentford, who are one point above Brighton.

The Cherries and the Bees have never played in European competition before, while the Seagulls' only Uefa campaign was in the 2023-24 Europa League.

Chelsea are four points behind Bournemouth, but they have a game in hand against Forest.

Fulham are level on points with Chelsea. Everton, who have a game in hand against Manchester City, and Sunderland are on 47 points - so they are just about in the race.

Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Leeds could still mathematically - but not so realistically - qualify for the Champions League.

Read the full article here

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Newcastle and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Newcastle fans

Wesley: I stick with Eddie Howe, but his tactics are puzzling sometimes. You need a team to play 90 minutes, not chop around in the second half. Hard to settle three subs into the game. Harvey Barnes should be on every game... all game.

Chris: Newcastle were a touch fortunate. Brighton dominated and maybe deserved a point.

JD: Thought the score was flattering to Newcastle. You can see why Osula is keeping the big-money strikers out of the starting XI. His running and pressing is relentless and he's unpredictable, which makes defenders nervous. It stopped Brighton's build from the back. Best player on the pitch and no surprise Brighton came back into it once he was subbed off. Newcastle still look very shaky at the back though, a lot of loose balls and Pope doesn't look confident with the ball at his feet.

LostGeordie: A tense and difficult watch. Another dreadful second half - we are supposed to come out at pace but the deliberate slowing of goal-kicks by Pope, perpetually ineffective, was terrible to watch, inviting Brighton's inevitable goal. I'll not comment on Wissa.

Brighton fans

Fran: I thought we had cut out all this silly stuff by giving the ball away in dangerous areas. Verbruggen, again rushing out of his area, and Van Hecke dithering and then slipping. We gifted Newcastle three goals. They were not better than us and we should have won this game. Enjoy the last three games and forget about Europe. If it happens, great - if not, it shows we aren't ready.

David: The Brighton curse of this season strikes again - the inability to beat teams below them in the league. Could have been, should have been almost any score the number of chances created and were not taken. All is not lost - three games to go and we can still get into Europe.

CK: The same old story of attractive approach play was let down by poor delivery in the final third and lack of muscle up top to force the issue. A draw was probably a fairer result.

Jon: If they had been more clinical and defended better, they would have won easily. Verbruggen is a good keeper, but still makes ridiculous errors. Newcastle parked the bus for much of the game.

Pundits Joe Hart and Wayne Rooney join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brentford 3-0 West Ham United

• Newcastle United 3-1 Brighton

• Arsenal 3-0 Fulham

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We dominated the game except a short period after the two goals. We lost a bit of structure but besides that dominated the game, had the ball and had chances. But the key moments we weren't able to manage well, and that's why we lost.

"Every time you concede a goal you can do something better. We knew they would have physicality on the pitch - height especially at set pieces. The first goal is unlucky decision. I like players who make decisions. If you make decisions and make mistakes then afterwards everyone knows better. I prefer players who take responsibility. All we can do is analyse it and bounce back next weekend.

"The first half we started really well, created chances and had the ball. They were dangerous at set pieces and in transition moments. We knew that, tried to control that, but it's hard to control. At half-time there wasn't much to change. My boys always believe and never give up. We got a goal back and the game could go in a different direction.

"It's not about feeling sorry for ourselves. We will take responsibility, analyse and bounce back."

Did you know?

• Brighton and Hove Albion conceded 3+ goals in a Premier League game for the first time since a 3-4 loss to Aston Villa in December.

• Bart Verbruggen has made more errors leading to goals (4) than any other player in the Premier League this season, while his 11 since the start of 2023-24 is four more than anyone else.

Ciaran Kelly
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton players and staff felt an unfamiliar emotion at full-time. This side had forgotten how to lose, having beaten Chelsea, Liverpool, Sunderland and Burnley in recent weeks and drawn against Tottenham Hotspur.

But manager Fabian Hurzeler will still take a lot of heart from this display.

The Brighton boss handed his players five days off following their impressive 3-0 win against Chelsea last time out.

It was a recognition of how much they had given him and, also, how much trust he had in them to go "all in for the final part of the season" and "give everything for this badge" as he told them when he delivered the news in the dressing room.

They certainly did that at St James' Park and Hurzeler will take a lot of heart from his side's response to going 2-0 down.

They refused to go under and set up a nervy finish at St James' Park after Jack Hinshelwood pulled one back.

Yankuba Minteh even had a glorious opportunity to make it 2-2 against his former club, only to blaze over from close range as Hurzeler dropped to his knees.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Newcastle's performance

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Come back on Sunday for a selection of your replies

Joelinton returns as Newcastle United make one change for the visit of Brighton.

The midfielder missed the defeats against Arsenal and Bournemouth through suspension, but is recalled in place of Jacob Ramsey this afternoon.

Anthony Gordon is not fit enough to start, but makes the bench after recovering from a hip issue.

Newcastle XI: Pope, Miley, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Tonali, Murphy, Osula, Willock.

Subs: Ramsdale, Trippier, Hall, Wissa, Gordon, Barnes, Elanga, Woltemade, Ramsey.

Danny Welbeck starts as Brighton also make a solitary change for the trip to St James' Park.

The striker, who has a fine goalscoring record against Newcastle, comes in for Georginio Rutter and captains the visitors today.

Manager Fabian Hurzeler has otherwise kept faith with the team who defeated Chelsea 3-0 last time out.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu, Gross, Baleba, Minteh, Hinshelwood, Mitoma, Welbeck.

Subs: Steele, Julio, Dunk, Rutter, Kostoulas, Ayari, De Cuyper, O'Riley, Veltman.

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brentford v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Newcastle v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Wolves v Sunderland

• Arsenal v Fulham (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brentford v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Fulham", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Newcastle still need a point or two to make sure of their Premier League survival, which is not something anyone expected to be saying about them come the start of May.

I do think the Magpies have enough points already - they have 42 and the most third-bottom Tottenham can get is 46 - but I also don't expect them to add to their tally here.

Brighton are on a roll and look strong candidates for sixth place and European football.

I am backing them to win and for Danny Welbeck to notch again for the Seagulls and finish the season as the top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League. He already has 13 goals this season, two more than Ollie Watkins for Aston Villa and Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Leeds.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Newcastle United host Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday (15:00 BST) with the two teams in wildly contrasting form as the visitors push hard for a European spot.

Eddie Howe's Magpies are languishing in 14th having lost four league games on the bounce. January 2021, when Steve Bruce was at the helm, was the last time Newcastle lost five top-flight matches in a row.

Geordie chore

Since a goalless draw with bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers on 18 January – when Newcastle were eighth – they have lost nine out of 12 in the Premier League; a tough watch for the Toon Army, who were dreaming of a Champions League quarter-final a little over seven weeks ago.

At St James' Park, they have registered just one win in their past six games – last month's impressive victory over Manchester United, which came despite playing the second half with 10 men.

A delegation of officials from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Newcastle's majority owners, flew to the North East for meetings this week and the club's dire form was said to be high on the agenda.

One worrying trend for Howe to address is his side's inability to hold on to a lead. Twice last month – at Crystal Palace and in the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland – Newcastle lost the game despite going ahead.

They have dropped a league-high 25 points from winning positions this season. To compound the situation, the Magpies have won just three points from losing positions this term, the joint fewest in the division.

Brighton breezy

A superb run of six wins in eight league games since being knocked out of the FA Cup on Valentine's Day has left Brighton dreaming of some romantic European getaways next season.

The Seagulls are currently sixth, trailing Aston Villa by eight points. Finishing sixth should mean qualification for the Europa League, but there is still an outside chance it could result in Champions League football.

How? It would require Villa to win the Europa League - they trail Nottingham Forest 1-0 after Thursday's semi-final first leg - and finish fifth in the league, the position they currently occupy.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Danny Welbeck's status as a cult hero in East Sussex is not in doubt. The Englishman will feel very hard done by if he isn't selected for World Cup duty by Thomas Tuchel after the best goalscoring season of his career.

Welbeck, 35, has notched 13 top-flight goals so far, including two in the reverse fixture in October, a game Brighton won 2-1. Only six players in the competition have scored more in a campaign while aged 34 or older.

One more for Welbeck would see him become Brighton's outright top scorer in a Premier League season. He is currently level with Glenn Murray, who bagged 13 in 2018-19.

But the former Manchester United and Arsenal man hasn't been alone in Fabian Hurzeler's side's climb the table. A strong supporting cast has helped the Seagulls score at least twice in each of their past four league games, something they last achieved over February and March 2025.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton forward Danny Welbeck says the extended break between matches has left him feeling "rested, recharged and ready to go" against Newcastle United this weekend.

Fabian Hurzeler's side have been out of action since their 3-0 win over Chelsea on 21 April, but they travel to St James' Park on Saturday to continue their push for European football.

"We are all definitely full of confidence," 35-year-old Welbeck told BBC Radio Sussex.

"We've had some really good results and performances recently, which gives us confidence and momentum going into the remaining four games of the season.

"You do have a look at the table at the end of the weekend to see how things are, but it is important for us to not focus too much on that. We have to focus on what we can do, which is getting three points."

On passing 50 goals and approaching 200 appearances for Brighton, Welbeck said: "I just keep pushing every single day. It has been a good period for me.

"I've really enjoyed my time here at Brighton - and long may it continue. I'm happy, I'm feeling fit and strong, I'm in a rhythm, and I'm feeling good."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds or by clicking the play icon below...

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has explained why he enlisted the help of a German MMA fighter to help his side with their set-piece work.

It comes after 21-year-old midfielder Jack Hinshelwood revealed the head coach's alternative approach to training in a interview with BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It was a couple of months ago so Jack [Hinshelwood] has a good memory," Hurzeler said in his pre-match news conference. "We brought him in because we've spoken a lot about set-pieces, blocking and new trends in the Premier League.

"We are trying to adapt to it because I don't want this club to always be known as a club that is nice.

"In certain moments you have to be quite resilient in personal duels. There are different ways of using your body and skills to win one-v-one duels, especially in set-pieces, and an MMA fighter always has one-v-one duels.

"Their job is to find a way to beat their opponent and we love getting ideas from other sports.

"If players are still remembering it now then it is obviously staying in their minds, which is a positive thing. It proves that we got some ideas from it which have been helpful for us as a team.

"As a club, we have never been known as being dominant in set-pieces or recruiting only for set-pieces, so we need to find ways to be innovative.

"We don't want to be beaten easily when we face taller teams. We might not be that physical regarding our height, but there are always ways you can defend and attack in these one-v-one duels.

"This is why we're trying to use different techniques from MMA as well."

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Newcastle United at St James' Park (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Despite being forced off with an injury last time out, Mats Wieffer will be available. The right-back is managing "a small issue in his ankle" but has taken part in training all week.

• James Milner and Solly March will not feature at St James' Park. It is hoped both players "will be an option for the next game" against Wolves.

• When asked about both of their contracts expiring next month, Hurzeler replied: "I will never discuss internal things about contracts. All I can say is that working with them is great. We've had conversations with them both, so they know how we see them and our plan for the future."

• It is the same case regarding the futures of defenders Adam Webster and Joel Veltman.

• Diego Gomez is expected to play again this season despite picking up a knee injury last month. Hurzeler said: "I'm very happy about it. It is one of the best pieces of news I've received in the past few weeks." However, the central midfielder will not be part of this weekend's matchday squad.

• Danny Welbeck will "always be an option to start" due to his scoring record against the Magpies.

• When asked if the 35-year-old forward should be on the plane to the World Cup this summer, Hurzeler replied: "He is a great goalscorer, he can help every team in the world, he makes all the players around him better and he takes care of his team-mates off the pitch. A player like him is difficult to find. I can only give a lot of praise to him. I'm very grateful for the job he does at this club, so I hope he will get his chance."

• The extended break between matches was used as time to "refresh not relax". The Albion boss explained: "It was about refreshing mentally and physically after a very intense game against Chelsea. We came back with a lot of energy, enthusiasm and positivity."

• He doesn't take a lot of "personal satisfaction" from being nominated for Premier League manager of the month: "I'm responsible being the head coach, but I'm only as good as my players and my staff. It is never a one-man show. One of the biggest strengths of this club is its togetherness."

• Pascal Gross, who has also been nominated for Premier League player of the month, has been "superb" this season. Hurzeler praised the midfielder for being "a great connector on and off the pitch", understanding "players of different ages" and having "unbelievable quality".

• When asked how he is keeping his players focused on the European push, he replied: "I always keep my approach the same. We have a blue line in our daily work, which means we will never get too depressed when we have our lows and we will never get too euphoric when we have our highs. We know we have the ability, resilience and belief to get the result we deserve."

• The fact that Brighton could finish either third or 16th in the Premier League table with just four games to go proves that the league is "unbelievably tight and unpredictable" this season.

• On facing Eddie Howe's struggling side, he said: "We have a lot of respect for Newcastle. They have a great squad with great individual quality. They play with such an intensity and energy at their stadium, so we need to go there with the belief we can win. It will be a lot of hard work and we might have to suffer, but we want to be dominant and give ourselves a chance to win."

Listen to live commentary of Newcastle United v Brighton from 14:55 BST on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Brighton? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Tottenham will sell goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to Inter Milan this summer, with Brighton stopper Bart Verbruggen on their list of possible replacements. (Teamtalk, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Image source, Getty Images

Brighton should aim to "get at" Newcastle from the first minute at St James' Park on Saturday, says former Albion midfielder Warren Aspinall, who believes the home crowd will "turn on" their team.

On the back of a dominant 3-0 victory against Chelsea last weekend, Aspinall doesn't want a lot to change from Fabian Hurzeler's side.

"I think Danny Welbeck will come in for Georginio Rutter but that will be it," Aspinall told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.

"It's all about what we do and I'm sick of saying this but, who's going to be the X factor for Brighton on Saturday? Who's going to step up to the plate and keep this run going? That's what I'm asking and I think it will be our wide players.

"They need to put the foot down on the accelerator from the word 'go' - high intensity football like we did in the Chelsea game.

"This crowd will turn on Newcastle. I'm sure some of these players will go into their shell and not many of them go into the trenches when the going gets tough so, I'm hoping we get after them, get an early goal and the crowd will turn on them."

BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck provided squad news for the Magpies as they're set to navigate injuries in their backline.

"Anthony Gordon's missed two matches with a minor hip injury but they're hoping to get him training this week and as of last Friday, Eddie Howe said they were looking at this Brighton match for him to get back," Raisbeck said.

"No Tino Livramento – he's picked up a thigh injury. Fabian Schar, the centre-half, wouldn't expect him back in the squad just yet.

"But they actually don't have too many injuries which is a good thing because they've been without so many players throughout the season."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds here

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Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

We have received some questions via our Brighton 'Ask Me Anything' form around what happens if Hearts and Brighton qualify for Europe and get drawn against each other, does Tony Bloom's financial interest in both teams become problematic?

Bloom has expanded his football interests after making such a success of Brighton.

He now holds shares in Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts and Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise.

All three could qualify for the same European competition this season.

If Hearts or Union Saint-Gilloise secure a place in Champions League qualifying, that could threaten Brighton's place in Europe.

That is because the team in the higher-ranked European competition would get priority if Uefa were to find a breach of multi-club ownership (MCO) rules.

For instance, by losing in Champions League qualifying Hearts or Union SG could potentially drop into the same competition as Brighton.

MCO rules would not allow this and the Seagulls would not be admitted into the competition at all.

Bloom had to reduce his controlling stake in Union Saint-Gilloise below 30% before the 2023-24 Europa League season, as Brighton had also qualified.

When he bought into Hearts last year, Bloom clearly had this conflict in mind by purchasing 29% of the Edinburgh club.

Bloom will hope his house is already in order.

Read more on clubs facing similar issues

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

Find out more here

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton will have big decisions to make on which players they will let go to "bigger clubs" this summer, says former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton, as Albion prepare for potential European football next season.

"I think Brighton are a club viewed from the outside where so-called 'bigger' clubs can come and poach their players," Sutton told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.

"They are a selling club essentially. It's not what Brighton fans want but I think they understand the model.

"The concern from the outside is how long can Danny Welbeck go on for? Because he's had a phenomenal season so I don't think, for his sake, that Brighton fans want him to go the World Cup. They'll want him resting and recuperating and putting his feet up.

"But I suppose there are always decisions to be made at the end of every season in terms of bigger clubs coming in for players and who Brighton are prepared to let go for a certain fee."

Fabian Hurzeler's side currently hold a Europa League qualification spot, as they sit sixth in the Premier League, and Sutton believes the south coast outfit will need the numbers if they want to compete in all competitions next season.

"I think Newcastle are a good example," Sutton said.

"They are a squad that hasn't coped with Champions League football [this season] and that would be the worry.

"But if you're a Brighton supporter, that's the dream isn't it? Champions League football is what you want. There's always that worry in the back of a supporter's mind - 'is the squad big enough and strong enough to compete on the European front?'.

"People talk about the volume of games players already have to cope with anyway and I get that, but as a fan you want to be involved and have those journeys across Europe with your family and the memories."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds here

Manchester United do not want to get into a bidding war for Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson, 23, who is also a target for Manchester City, and could turn to other targets such as Brighton's Cameroon international Carlos Baleba. (ESPN, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Brighton's chances of qualifying for European football this season, with just four fixtures left for Fabian Hurzeler's side to stake their claim.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Charlie: Who knows, only time will tell! I am confident though, as we have a good run-in and a good group of lads. The morale is high and we are playing beautiful football at this point in time. We can only hope and pray but I believe we can make it over the line.

David: We have a group of players who are capable of beating any Premier League team, plus three of our four remaining games are against teams below us in the table. The positive goal difference may well be worth an extra point too. So yes, we will qualify for Europe for next season.

Julian: Brighton have a propensity for drawing with teams they should be beating, if you look at our results against the bottom three. But, if they can beat Newcastle this Saturday, I am optimistic they will do enough to qualify for Europe at some level.

Daniel: I've been trying not to focus on the table but take it game-by-game, although, I'm starting to get excited now. I'm dreaming of us getting Champions League, if Aston Villa win the Europa League.

Andrew: I would be very pleased with qualifying for the Conference League. I've heard too many warnings recently that makes me think we would need to invest in the squad, so surely the Champions League would leave our finances on a knife-edge. There are several former Premier League teams in the lower leagues who tried to fly with the gods.

Image source, BBC Sport

Brighton and Hove Albion say their plans for Europe's first purpose-built women's football stadium, announced on Tuesday, will "provide a permanent home and identity for the women's team" in an attempt to drive long-term fan growth.

Located at Bennett's Field, a site adjacent to the Amex Stadium - the home of Brighton's Premier League side - and costing cost £75-80m, it will hold an initial capacity of 10,000 and will be connected to the Amex via a bridge walkway.

With work under way on a planning application, the club hope to officially open the stadium for the start of the 2030-31 season.

Listen to full clip here on BBC Sounds

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