Wolves - Brighton and Hove Albion predictions and free betting tips [28/02/2024]

On Wednesday, 28th February, within the scope of the 1/8 finals of the FA Cup, Wolverhampton will welcome Brighton at their home field. Managed by Gary O'Neil, Wolverhampton secured a victory over Sheffield United over the past weekend, scoring 1:0, while the Seagulls barely snatched a draw against Everton (1:1).

Predicted Lineups

Wolverhampton: Sa; Kilman, Toti, S. Bueno; Semedo, Lemina, Doyle, Ait-Nouri; Neto, Bellegarde; Hwang.
Brighton: Steele; Veltman, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, Gross; Fati, Lallana, Adingra; Welbeck.  

Venue

The matchup will take place in Wolverhampton at the Molineux Stadium.

Wolverhampton

In the first two rounds of the Cup, Wolverhampton beat Brentford (3:2 after extra time) and West Bromwich (0:2). The hosts also fare well in the league: they are in good shape after two consecutive victories over Tottenham (1:2) and Sheffield United (1:0) last weekend. A brawl involving Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer with Vinicius Souza and Jack Robinson took up considerable minutes, but a shrewd header from Pablo Sarabia following a stunning pass from Rayan Ait-Nuri decided it all.

The Wolves are just 90 minutes away from reaching the FA Cup quarterfinals for the first time since the 2018-19 season, when they were ousted in the tournament semi-finals by Watford. Interestingly, that campaign was one of two instances when the team advanced past the fifth round since the start of the millennium (the other occurrence was in 2003). It should be noted that the hosts have lost two of the last three home battles; overall, they haven't been particularly successful at the Molineux in the Premier League (21 points secured in 13 matches, 20 goals scored and as many conceded). 

Brighton

Under the management of Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton continues to languish in 7th place in the Premier League, trailing Tottenham by 8 points. Over the past weekend, the Seagulls failed to clinch a victory against Everton (1:1), barely scraping a point thanks to a Dunk goal in injury time, even though Gilmour was red-carded ten minutes before the end of the match. Earlier, they prevailed over a sinking Sheffield United with a score of 0:5, and in the previous round of the FA Cup, they thrashed the Blades again 2:5.

The visitors have advanced past the fifth round in three of the last six editions of this tournament, including a semi-final performance in the 2022-23 campaign. Fun fact: Brighton has scored at least four goals in each match following a disappointing result, starting with a victory over Tottenham (4:2) at the end of December. It should be noted that the team will soon face Roma in the 1/8 finals of the Europa League, so the coaching staff will likely opt for squad rotation on Wednesday. 

Head-to-Head Meetings

In August, the Seagulls won at Molineux with a score of 1:4, but just a few weeks ago, O'Neil's charges snatched a goalless draw at the Amex.

Match Prediction Wolverhampton vs. Brighton

We are looking forward to an excellent FA Cup match between two teams from the upper half of the Premier League table. Brighton alternates successful results with surprise hiccups and, logically, should go all out on Wednesday. Wolverhampton isn't very successful at the Molineux and has already lost to the Seagulls this season - I bet on a victory for the visitors with a handicap of 0.

Total Prediction

Although Brighton scores a lot, they can't boast of defensive reliability: the Seagulls have conceded in five out of their last six matches in all competitions. We boldly bet on goals from both sides.

Corner Prediction

Brighton prefers to play in a dominant style, and they will also claim the ball from the early minutes on the Molineux. My prediction is a victory for the Seagulls on corners.

Yellow Cards Prediction

Wolverhampton earns an average of 2.6 yellow cards per game, Brighton - 2.5. We confidently bet on the total number of yellow cards over 4.5.

Score Prediction

I am betting on an exact score of 1:2 in favour of Brighton.