Up to nine players for Brighton are now expected to be sidelined for their FA Cup match against Wolves.
In the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday night, Gary O’Neil’s team takes on the Seagulls. Both teams hope to advance to the competition’s quarterfinals, which will be held at Molineux.
In recent years, Brighton has grown to be a formidable opponent for Wolves. The West Midlands team has only defeated the Seagulls five times in their existence and has lost to them 6-0 and 4-1 in the past year.
But since the end of 2023, O’Neil has managed to put together a rather strong run of play with Wolves. The team defeated Sheffield United 1-0 on the weekend to extend their winning streak to eight games out of the previous twelve.
Now that Brighton has announced several stars are out of the match, Wolves may have a stronger chance of breaking the curse on Wednesday night.
Kauro Mitoma tops Brighton’s injury list ahead of Wolves
With several players sidelined due to injuries, Brighton’s Premier League and European campaign appears to have finally caught up to them.
Due to an injury sustained in October, Solly March has not played for the Seagulls for the bulk of the season.
Joao Pedro, who scored 19 goals, James Milner, an experienced player, and youth Jack Hinshelwood have all joined the list and will not play in the Wolves match.
Kaoru Mitoma will be yet another significant loss for the visitors. The Japanese international didn’t play this past weekend due to a back ailment, but he did score the game’s first goal against Wolves in their 4-1 triumph back in August.
Roberto De Zerbi, the manager, acknowledged that he will not be returning for the Wolves match: It’s a significant issue. De Zerbi stated, “I believe we are done for the season after two or three months.” “His back injury prevented him from playing against Everton.”
Furthermore, Evan Ferguson is not available due to his late-game forced substitution against Everton. Danny Welbeck, the forward, and Joel Veltman are also questionable for the class.
Billy Gilmour, a Scot who received a red card against Everton and will now serve a three-game suspension, is likewise not available for selection.
Big opportunity for Wolves on Wednesday night
Unlike Brighton, Wolves have only experienced one confirmed outage. Although Matheus Cunha’s injury has appeared to be improving recently, he will not be available for the FA Cup match.
O’Neil has previously stated that he will open the match with his strongest starting lineup. Because Brighton’s injury situation is dire, Wolves have a great chance to get to the quarterfinals.
With four more victories, Wolves will have won their first major in more than 40 years. They have no better chance of making it to a quarterfinal with their current form and Brighton’s problems.
