2025/25 OPPOSITION FOCUS: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

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As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-19T09:00:00.000Z

2025/25 OPPOSITION FOCUS: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-19T09:00:00.000Z

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

Today we take a look at the Seagulls...

What's their history?

The Seagulls were founded in 1901 and elected into The Football League’s newly-formed Third Division 19 years later.

Promoted to the Second Division in 1958, Albion survived for four years before back-to-back relegations saw them fall into the Fourth Division. By 1972, they were back into the second tier.

Top flight status was eventually achieved in 1979. The 1982/83 was mixed for the Seagulls, as they were relegated but also reached the FA Cup final, which they lost 4-0 in a replay to Manchester United.

By the late 1990s, Brighton were back in the fourth tier and in 1997 they came close to relegation from the Football League altogether before a takeover saved the club from liquidation.

Back-to-back promotions in 2001 and 2002 would see Brighton back in the second tier, before a yo-yo with the third tier ultimately saw the Seagulls spend five campaigns in League One.

Promoted into the Championship in 2011, coinciding with a move to the new Amex Stadium, Brighton eventually went on to get promoted to the Premier League in 2017 and ended a 34-year absence from the top flight in the process.

Remaining there ever since, their 2022/23 campaign saw their 6th place finish seal a UEFA Europa League spot, with impressive 11th and 8th place finishes in the last two seasons.

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Stadium

The American Express Stadium, commonly known as the Amex, has been the home of Brighton & Hove Albion since the summer of 2011.

Located in Falmer just outside of central Brighton, the modern looking venue has a capacity of just under 32,000 and the south coast stadium is to be redeveloped once again, with a slightly increased capacity.

The Amex has also played host to the 2015 Rugby World Cup as one of the chosen venues, as well as the UEFA Women's Euros in 2022.

Burnley have faced the Seagulls on 10 occasions at the Amex, winning three of them, drawing five and losing just twice.

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Last season

After promotion in 2017, last season saw the Seagulls ensure another season of Premier League football, with the Albion heading into a 9th consecutive top-flight campaign next year.

The Seagulls were under new guidance with Fabian Hürzeler being appointed prior to the 2024/25 campaign and it proved to be another successful season for the south coast club.

Brighton sealed an 8th place finish in the Premier League on 61 points and narrowly missed out on European football by just a handful of points.

Hürzeler's side picked up some memorable results through the league campaign, with impressive wins against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Manchester City.

After being knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round by Liverpool, the Albion also reached the quarter-finals of the Emirates FA Cup, before losing to Nottingham Forest on penalties.

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Who's the boss?

Fabian Hürzeler's career at Brighton & Hove Albion began in June 2024, when he was appointed as Head Coach, making history as the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history at just 31 years old.

The German boss succeeded Roberto De Zerbi, who departed after a season that saw Brighton finish 11th in the Premier League.

Hürzeler's first season at the Amex saw him secure an 8th place finish, just five points off a UEFA Champions League spot.

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Memorable meeting

09/02/2019 - Brighton & Hove Albion 1 - 3 Burnley

A Chris Wood brace and Ashley Barnes penalty saw the Clarets claim all three points in a dominant display on a rainy afternoon at the Amex.

Wood struck home the opener midway through the first-half, after rifling home Barnes' pass underneath the body of Seagulls keeper Mat Ryan.

The New Zealand forward then added his second on the hour mark from Dwight McNeil's ball, before Barnes stepped up from the spot after being fouled by Ryan and the striker slotted in Burnley's third of afternoon.

Despite the Clarets being three goals to the good and only 15 minutes left on the clock, Albion clawed a late consolation goal when Shane Duffy headed home Anthony Knockaert's free-kick.

Burnley: Heaton, Bardsley, Mee, Tarkowski, Taylor, Cork, Westwood, Hendrick, McNeil, Barnes, Wood

Unused substitutes: Hart, Gibson, Long, Lowton, Ward, Crouch, Vydra

Brighton & Hove Albion: Ryan, Bong, Duffy, Montoya, Dunk, March (Knockaert 48), Gross (Bissouma 66), Propper, Stephens, Locadia (Jahanbakhsh, Murray

Unused substitutes: Button, Burn, Bernardo, Kayal