Stoke City vs Brighton Predictions

• Stoke have lost 11 matches in the Championship this season
• Six of Stoke’s last seven matches have featured under 2.5 goals
• Brighton have lost just one of their last seven games in all competitions

Seagulls look to improve on West Ham stalemate

Brighton started 2024 with a whimper rather than a bang, drawing 0-0 with West Ham on Tuesday, but they can pick up their first win of the year against Stoke in the FA Cup.

The Seagulls struggled to make an impact in a drab draw with the Hammers last time out, leaving them eight points adrift of the top five in the Premier League.

All hope is not lost and the club are still progressing nicely but it would be no surprise if Robert de Zerbi’s men prioritise cup competitions, starting with the FA Cup.

Their third-round opponents are a Stoke City team who are looking over their shoulders near the bottom of the Championship.

Potters unlikely to cause Brighton many problems

The Potters should have enough of a buffer already to be confident of surviving but it has still be an unimpressive season with 11 defeats already racked up.

Defensively Steven Schumacher’s side have shown signs of promise, shutting out free-scoring Ipswich Town most recently, but they have struggled for goals going forwards.

Stoke have netted only 25 goals in 26 league games this season and they were dumped out of the EFL Cup without scoring by Premier League Bournemouth at the end of September.

Brighton should also make relatively light work of Stoke but based on the recent matches both of these teams have been involved in, a low-scoring game is expected.

Brighton to win and under 2.5 goals looks the best match bet, while the Seagulls are worth selecting to win 2-0 in terms of a correct score pick.