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

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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.

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.

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

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