Brighton and Hove Albion host Fulham in an exciting contest in the opening weekend of the 2025-26 English Premier League campaign, with both sides hoping to improve on their performances in the previous season.
Ayomide Oguntimehin provides the lowdown for the August 16th clash at the American Express Stadium.
Brighton vs Fulham Match Preview
Brighton and Hove Albion under the guide of Fabian Hurzeler, head into their second season under the young German coach, hoping to build on last season’s eighth-place finish. Crystal Palace’s shock win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final meant they narrowly missed out on an European spot last season.
The Seagulls enjoyed a particularly impressive preseason campaign, recording high-profile victories over Wolfsburg and Las Palmas. Despite losing the likes of Joao Pedro to Chelsea, Simon Adingra to Sunderland and Pervis Estupinan to AC Milan, they have bolstered their ranks with key additions including Maxim De Cuyper, Diego Coppola and Charalampos Kostoulas.
“Overall we were good and there were positives. Now we can focus on Fulham.” 💪
Fabian reflects on another successful pre-season fixture ahead of the 25/26 #PL campaign. 🗣️
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 9, 2025
Fulham, however, showed massive improvement in the 2024-25 season before ending the season in 11th position. They finished the season with 15 wins, 9 draws and 14 defeats as they missed out on a place in Europe by just few points. Marco Silva’s side enjoyed an outstanding preseason campaign with three wins from as many matches.
The Cottagers defeated Nottingham Forest 3-1 in their first outing before recording a 4-2 success over Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad. They concluded action with a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt to boost their confidence ahead of the new season.
Brighton vs Fulham Head to Head Record (Last five meetings)
- 08.03.2025 – Brighton 2-1 Fulham
- 05.12.2024 – Fulham 3-1 Brighton
- 02.03.2024 – Fulham 3-0 Brighton
- 29.10.2023 – Brighton 1-1 Fulham
- 18.02.2023 – Brighton 0-1 Fulham
Fulham have gained the upper hand in this clash in recent years, including winning three of the last five meetings. They have also lost only once in their last four visits to the American Express Stadium, while only one of the last five encounters have failed to produce more than one goal.
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Recent Form: Brighton
Brighton have seen a remarkable improvement in their performances in recent outings. After a run of four defeats in five matches in April, they are without a loss in their last ten matches in all competitions.
The Seagulls have only lost one of their last five home league games and have kept just one clean sheet in their last 14 league matches.
Recent Form: Fulham
Fulham, on the other hand have had an unpredictable form. Despite winning their last three matches, they won only two of the previous seven matches prior to that. The Cottagers have won two of their last three away matches in the league, but have prevented their opponents from scoring just once in their last 11 EPL games.
Player to Watch: Alex Iwobi (Fulham)
The Nigerian midfielder enjoyed an outstanding campaign with Fulham last season with 15 goal contributions in the league. Alex Iwobi’s brilliant passing skills and late runs into the box will be key if the Cottagers are to secure a valuable result against Brighton in their league opener.
Best Betting Odds
Over 1.5 Goals – 1.21 (via 1xBet)
Prediction
Both sides are expected to create numerous scoring opportunities, given the improvement in their attacking outputs in recent matches. The last four clashes between them have also produced multiple goals, with this game expected to follow suit.
