Gull-Mouth Action | Episode 2 - Brighton prepare for Pep and Ajax

  • last year
Welcome to this week’s Gullmouth Action podcast, where we take a look at all the latest goings on at Brighton & Hove Albion, Crawley Town and sport in Sussex.
Matt Pole is joined by Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford, Sussex sport guru Steve Bone, and Sam Morton who covers Brighton & Hove Albion and the Reds. . We preview Albion’s league game against Man City and their Europa League encounter with Ajax.
You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos and pictures online at SussexWorld.co.uk/sport, and you check out the full episode on ShotsTV.com and Freeview channel 276.

Category

🥇
Sport
Transcript
00:00 This week sees Brighton Hove Abbey in return to action following an imposed hiatus due
00:20 to the international break. Roberto Giuseppe's men visit a Manchester City side reeling after
00:25 a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal. How do you see this one going Sam and should the Seagulls be wary
00:30 of a wounded Man City?
00:32 Absolutely, yeah I think Man City have obviously come against the game on a really bad run
00:37 of form really which is really unlike them. They've only won in Europe recently and had
00:43 two consecutive defeats in the Premier League against Wolves and then Arsenal. So it's a
00:51 real tough game for Brighton because obviously as you say they're coming up against a wounded
00:56 animal in Man City. They're going to be desperate to put things right and to get things back
01:00 on track. But then Brighton obviously will be coming into the game with a bit more confidence
01:05 after that good result against Liverpool and they probably should have won that game when
01:09 you look back at the chances they had and obviously the capitulation they had at the
01:13 end of that first half defensively. But I can see a high scoring game and it could really
01:18 go either way so one really to look forward to for the fans.
01:22 I'll ask you for your score prediction at the end of the podcast but Albi and then host
01:26 Ajax in their third game of their inaugural Europa League campaign on Thursday evening.
01:30 The Seagulls are bottom of the group but are just three points adrift of group leaders
01:34 aka Athens. So how imperative Sam is it that Brighton get the win against Nike who are
01:40 seemingly in free fall at the moment if you'd read anything in the press?
01:44 Ajax are extremely, just not themselves you would say, just really, really struggling
01:49 in the league this season. I think when you look at the squad it's nowhere near as impressive
01:54 as it has been in recent seasons and obviously they really have had all of their top players
01:59 taken away from them really. It may be a similar way to Brighton but Brighton seem to be able
02:03 to cope with it. It definitely seems that Ajax are suffering from the effects of their
02:08 players being taken and they really are struggling in the league and things aren't going to plan
02:13 for them. So it is a great opportunity for Brighton, obviously playing them at home first
02:18 to get a much needed win in the group. It was vital to get that point at Marseille in
02:23 the previous game to kind of keep their hopes alive. Now they really have to back that up
02:27 I think and get their first win of the campaign against an Ajax team that are really struggling
02:33 and it's a kind of perfect opportunity really. If you get a win at home suddenly the group
02:38 is extremely favourable for Albion and they can then potentially get a draw away as well
02:43 when it's completely in their hands. So yeah, another game I'm really looking forward to
02:47 watching. I mean it's difficult because I think it's difficult to say Brighton should
02:51 be favourites in a game against Ajax. It seems crazy to say and yes he's mad but we kind
02:58 of had that against Athens in the first game where Brighton were obviously the clear favourites
03:02 to win that game but then really shouldn't have been when it was their first ever Europa
03:05 League game. So much pressure without their captain Louis Dunck on the night. So all sorts
03:11 of pressures for Brighton and that element of expectation might not be too good. I think
03:16 sometimes Brighton play better when they're a little bit of the underdogs. So it'll be
03:20 interesting to see but yeah again I'm really looking forward to watching and seeing how
03:24 Brighton get on.
03:25 A draw not good enough for it?
03:26 I think it needs to be a win. I think definitely at home. I think a draw away would be good
03:32 but at home I think a win is needed. I think obviously after the loss against Athens, the
03:37 draw at Marseille, I think they need a win. They need a win and I think it's a good opportunity
03:42 to do it at home with a crowd behind them against a team completely out of confidence.
03:47 So I think get a win at home and then try and nick a draw away and I think it'll be
03:51 in their hands.
03:52 Four points in those two games would be a pretty good result wouldn't it for the Derby
03:57 I think?
03:58 Well I think if they finish third don't they get into the, I can't even think what it's
04:01 called, conference league or something like that which is quite winnable I suppose for
04:05 them so yeah still plenty to play for.
04:08 I think it's a win.

Recommended