Michael Owen makes bullish Brighton prediction ahead of Southampton clash

Michael Owen believes the return of Brighton forward Leandro Trossard for Sunday’s Premier League game against Southampton will be a huge boost for Graham Potter's team.

The Belgium international missed Albion’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Wednesday evening due to illness.

Brighton, who are 10th in the Premier League standings, also saw defender Shane Duffy return to light training following a thigh issue but is unlikely to feature, while midfielders Yves Bissouma (suspension) and Jakub Moder (knee) remain out.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl appears to have no fresh selection concerns ahead of the trip along the south coast.

The Austrian may opt for changes at the Amex Stadium after his side slipped to a disappointing 2-0 loss at relegation-threatened Burnley on Thursday.

Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has returned to training but is still awaiting his first involvement since suffering a hamstring issue in early December.

"Brighton are back on home turf, after three games on the road," wrote Owen in his Betvictor predictions blog.

"They’ve obviously beaten Arsenal and Spurs, so they are in good form. They don’t score loads but are so organised and keep the ball well.

"Southampton were poor against Burnley on Thursday and remain such a difficult side to predict. I do think we’ll see some improvement from them here though.

"I still fancy Brighton to edge this though. They’ve been in better form, and I can see them winning this 2-1."