Following their scintillating start to the new Premier League season, Brighton & Hove Albion will host Crawley Town in an EFL Cup tie on Tuesday. The Seagulls soared to a last-gasp victory over Manchester United last time out, but their League One visitors are also in good form, having won four games from five so far.
After a stellar run of results in pre-season, as they seamlessly adapted to life under new boss Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton's return to top-flight action has continued in the same vein, with back-to-back wins to start the 2024-25 campaign.
Hurzeler's reign began in style, as the Seagulls cruised to a 3-0 victory against 10-man Everton, but the 31-year-old coach claimed an even bigger scalp on Saturday, as his side toppled Manchester United at the Amex Stadium.
Ex-United striker Danny Welbeck gave the hosts a first-half lead with his fifth league goal against his former club, before they conceded a second-half equaliser and looked like settling for a point.
However, Joao Pedro then headed home a dramatic stoppage-time winner to maintain Brighton's 100% start to the season, sparking wild celebrations and boosting belief in the Premier League's youngest-ever manager.
Albion face a tough final fixture before the international break puts a stop to club football next month, as they must visit an Arsenal side also on two wins from two.
First, they return to knockout competition, and as a top-flight club, Brighton have won all six of their League Cup ties against lower-level opponents at the Amex - scoring 14 times and conceding only once.
Tuesday's game will bring Brighton together with nearby Crawley Town for just the second time ever: the clubs' only previous meeting was in the 1992 FA Cup third round, with the Seagulls running out 5-0 winners on that occasion.
Crawley may hope to fare a little better this time around, having more recently won two of their three EFL Cup matches against Premier League opponents, losing the other to eventual winners Swansea in 2012.
Furthermore, Scott Lindsey's freshly promoted side posted four straight wins to start the new season - albeit one via a penalty shootout, against Brighton's Under-21 side in the EFL Trophy.
League victories over Blackpool and Cambridge United were split by progress from the EFL Cup's first round, where Crawley beat Swindon Town partly thanks to a Jack Roles brace.
The League One side scored twice late on, sealing a 4-2 win that set up this week's trip to Brighton, but they failed to find the net last time out, suffering a first loss of the season away to Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
Team News and Lineups
Between two tough Premier League fixtures, Fabian Hurzeler is likely to make several changes to his starting XI in midweek, so summer signings including Brajan Gruda and Georginio Rutter will be in contention to play against Crawley.
The latter - Brighton's £40m club-record acquisition - could replace Joao Pedro up front, while veteran striker Danny Welbeck may also make way.
The hosts are still without Solly March, Bart Verbruggen, Evan Ferguson and Pervis Estupinan, while Valentin Barco has just joined Sevilla on a season-long loan.
The signing of Fenerbahce full-back Ferdi Kadioglu has not been completed, and Denmark midfielder Matt O'Riley is yet to sign on the dotted line to confirm a transfer from Celtic.
Meanwhile, Crawley will be without injured trio Dion Conroy, Gavan Holohan and Harry Forster, the latter of whom was injured in the second leg of the Reds' playoff semi-final and is still troubled by a thigh problem.
Ronan Darcy recently returned to fitness, though, so he could join Junior Quitirna in the final third. Summer signing Quitirna set up two goals against Swindon in the first round and should support ex-Aston Villa striker Rushian Hepburn-Murphy up front.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:Steele; Lamptey, Dunk, Igor, Hinshelwood; Baleba, Wieffer, Ayari; Gruda, Rutter, Adingra
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:Wollacott; Mullarkey, Mukena, Flint; Malone, Williams, Anderson, Kelly; Darcy, Quitirna; Hepburn-Murphy
Brighton's Squad Depth is Expected to Prove Too Much for Crawley
Even with a much-changed XI, Brighton should comfortably overcome opponents who were playing in League Two last season, as the Seagulls' squad depth is quite impressive.
Crawley will expect to suffer long spells without the ball against their Premier League neighbours, who are sure to score at least once at the Amex. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Brighton's Dominant Performance Seals Victory
The game is defined and the clock is moving towards the end.
GGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLL!!! Jeremy Sarmiento appears and scores for the second goal of the game.
The second half begins.
We're going to the break.
3 more minutes are added.
The locals are more aggressive when they reach the goal, but all their options go to one side.
We are approaching half-time but it seems unlikely that the score will change. There is very little football on the pitch and a draw is inevitable.
After the goal, Brighton kept up the pressure and kept looking for more.
GGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLL!!! Simon Adingra's shot inside the box makes it first for Brighton.
Both teams want more but are not creating the expected chances as we approach half-time.
The home team also wants a goal before half-time to take the lead.
Brighton came closer to the first goal, but they sent the ball over the goal.
Brighton control the ball but Crawley wait patiently for their opponents to make a mistake before counterattacking.
We remain without any goal opportunities but both teams are pressing to get into the opponent's area.
We still have no chances to score, the game is fought in midfield but there are no arrivals to the rival area.
Great start to the match with both teams looking for a goal in the opening minutes.
Start the game.
We are just a few minutes away from the start of the EFL Cup match presentation and pre-match protocols.
The Falmer Stadium is set to welcome Brighton and Crawley Town for the 2024 EFL Cup tie, with a win needed to progress to the next round.
These are Brighton's starters for today's game:
TEAM NEWS! 🚨 Here's our starting XI to take on @CrawleyTown tonight. 👀📝 pic.twitter.com/FtrraTXQWH
Here are the starting XI for Crawley Town for today's match:
📰 TEAM NEWSHere's how we lineup to face Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion at the American Express Stadium.#TownTeamTogether🔴 pic.twitter.com/4Yor1VQd2Y
Anthony Backhouse will be the central referee between Brighton and Crawley Town for this 2024 EFL Cup game.
The EFL Cup is one of the few knockout tournaments that starts quickly and we will have one team eliminated today, one team will have to forget about this tournament and focus on what comes next.
Brighton players are already at their stadium for today's match:
All smiles in the sun! 🌞👋 #BHACRA 🔜 pic.twitter.com/VkRqIgScOo
The Crawley Town squad is now at Falmer Stadium for today's game:
🔜 Team news is coming your way, Reds!#TownTeamTogether🔴 pic.twitter.com/QP3p25LACG
Last time these two teams met was in the 2020-2021 EFL Cup season when the two teams played out a goalless draw.
A close encounter awaits us between both teams, here are some facts before the game.
We're just under an hour away from the start of the Brighton-Crawley Town game at the Falmer Stadium. Both teams will be out looking for a win. Who will do it this time? Follow our coverage on VAVEL.
In a few moments we will share with you the starting lineups for Brighton vs Crawley Town live corresponding to the EFL Cup 2024, as well as the latest information emerging from the Falmer Stadium. Don't miss any details of the match with VAVEL's minute-by-minute live coverage online.
This is the start time of the Brighton vs Crawley Town match in several countries: Argentina: 15:45 hours Disney+ Bolivia: 14:45 hours Disney+ Brazil: 15:45 hours Disney+ Chile: 15:45 hours Disney+ Colombia: 13:45 hours Disney+ Ecuador: 13:45 hours Disney+ USA (ET): 14:45 hours Paramount+ Spain: 20:45 hours No Transmission Mexico: 12:45 hours Disney+ Paraguay: 15:45 hours Disney+ Peru: 13:45 hours Disney+ Uruguay: 15:45 hours Disney+ Venezuela: 14:45 hours Disney+ If you want to follow it online, VAVEL is your best option.
This is the team's final line-up: Jojo Wollacott, Joy Mukena, Josh Flint, Toby Mullarkey, Max Anderson, Jay Williams, Jeremy Kelly, Ade Adeyemo, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, Ronan Darcy and Junior Quitirna.
The Crawley Town striker is one of his club's main players in attack and the team's top scorer. Kelly is looking to continue his development in European football and be a key player for Crawley Town in attack. He is one of the team's promising players and his offensive contribution is vital to the team's aspirations in all competitions. Last season, the striker played in 29 games for the team where he scored 9 goals and 2 assists. The American striker was chosen by Crawley to be the pillar in attack that brings them closer to achieving their goals.
Crawley Town come into this match in 8th place in League One with a record of 2 wins, 0 draws and 1 loss, to reach 6 points. Last season the team was unable to fight at the top of the table and stayed in 8th place and out of the opportunity to play in the promotion playoff. Crawley Town will look to take advantage of the match against Brighton to add a victory that helps maintain the good spirits of the group. This season, the team has made several moves, forming a solid team structure with players such as Joe Wollacott, Dion Conroy, Scott Malone, Jack Roles, Cameron Bragg, Ade Adeyemo and Jeremy Kelly, the most outstanding. Crawley Town come into this match with a positive streak and will look to avoid their elimination from the EFL Cup in the first round. The most important thing for the team is that they do not drop important points in the championship to get into the fight for promotion.
This is the team's final line-up: Bart Verbruggen, Lewis Dunk, Igor Julio, Jan Paul van Hecke, Billy Gilmour, Danny Welbeck, Tariq Lamptey, Jack Hinshelwood, Evan Ferguson, João Pedro and Facundo Buonanotte.
The Brighton striker arrives as one of the great players and will look to start making himself known as the team's top assister in attack. Now, after his time at the club last season, he is set to be one of the top players in the offensive that Brighton needs and his contribution will be very important for the future and the search to keep Brighton among the best in the Premier League. In the previous campaign, he recorded 10 goals and 10 assists in 44 games.
Brighton & Hove Albion is preparing for the 2024-2025 Premier League season where it will continue to seek the title of the highest category of English football and is one of the main candidates to fight for one of the tickets to the UEFA tournaments. Brighton is in second place in the Premier League with 6 points, after 2 wins, 0 draws and 0 losses. They begin a new adventure towards qualification for a UEFA competition. The Seagulls are applying to try to get into the next round of the Carabao Cup and be an interesting team in all competitions. Some interesting names in this group are Lewis Dunk, Joao Pedro, James Milner, Solly March, Joel Veltman, Mahmoud Dahoud and Danny Welbeck, these are the players who have been well-prepared and will be the pillars in all lines of the team, their contribution will be fundamental for the hopes of the squad in the rest of the football season. Brighton will try again and maintain a solid project with the same coaching staff and much of the squad from last season, so much is expected of them in search of their second Premier League.
The Falmer Stadium located in the city of Brighton, England will be the venue for this duel between two teams that seek to continue their path within the EFL Cup 2024. This stadium has a capacity for 31,800 fans and was inaugurated in 2011.
Good morning to all VAVEL readers! Welcome to the live broadcast of the Brighton vs Crawley Town match, corresponding to the EFL Cup 2024. The match will take place at the Falmer Stadium, at 2:45 p.m.
