Former Chelsea and Celtic ace makes bold Brighton call ahead of Bournemouth

Brighton and Hove Albion are tipped to have too much firepower for lowly Bournemouth at the Amex Stadium later today.

Brighton, who are sixth in the Premier League standings, will aim to continue their push for Europe against Gary O’Neil’s team.

The Cherries had a busy window making six signings overall, including securing two deadline-day deals with Illia Zabarnyi and Hamed Traore joining from Dynamo Kyiv and Sassuolo respectively.

O’Neil’s next challenge is ensuring Bournemouth can stay in the Premier League, with the team currently sat third-from-bottom of the table on goal difference, but he believes their January business can move the club forward.

Albion, who have a fitness concerns with young striker Evan Ferguson and defender Adam Webster, have been on decent form of late and will also welcome back wantaway midfielder Moises Caicedo to their squad.

Former Chelsea and Celtic striker Chris Sutton has been impressed with Albion under De Zerbi and expects the hosts to claim three points.

"Bournemouth signed a few players in January and I already like the look of Dango Ouattara, who set up a goal in his debut for the Cherries when they drew with Nottingham Forest last time out,” Sutton wrote for his predictions column on the BBC website.

“It looks like they are going to have a go at staying up but whether that works out or not will depend on how quickly those new faces gel.

“I don't see them getting anything here, for starters, because of how good we know Brighton are. I love watching them under Roberto de Zerbi and I can only see a Seagulls victory here.”

Sutton's prediction: 3-0