Brighton will be looking to start their UEFA Conference League campaign with a comfortable victory when they welcome FK Kauno Zalgiris to the Amex Stadium on Thursday evening.
The Seagulls are among the favourites to lift the trophy in Istanbul next year and have been in excellent form domestically under Fabian Hurzeler.
Albion have reeled off four straight Premier League victories over Coventry City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Sunderland, scoring a combined total of 13 goals across that sequence.
Brighton breezed through the Conference League play-off round with a 4-0 aggregate success over Tromso and now take on a side facing a huge step up in class against one of the Premier League's most exciting teams.
Kauno Zalgiris have already enjoyed a historic European adventure by reaching the league stage for the first time in the club's history.
The Lithuanian champions are a point clear at the Toplyga summit with a handful of games to go, and won the domestic cup last weekend.
But they have found life difficult whenever stepping up against stronger opposition, suffering heavy aggregate defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Besiktas in earlier qualifying rounds for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
Zeljko Sopic's men undoubtedly deserve respect after reaching this stage, but Thursday's trip to Brighton represents arguably their toughest assignment yet.
Brighton v FK Kauno Zalgiris Tips Summary
Best Bet - Brighton & over 4.5 goals @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - Brighton over 24.5 shots @ 5/6
Bet Builder - Brighton to win both halves, Olivier Boscagli 2+ shots, Matt O'Riley 3+ shots & Anton Tolordava to be booked @ 15/2
Brighton v FK Kauno Zalgiris Prediction
Best Bet: Brighton & over 4.5 goals @ 5/6
Brighton should have too much quality for Kauno Zalgiris and the home side look capable of covering a hefty handicap in their first league-phase fixture.
Albion have lost only one of their first nine matches in all competitions this season, registering six wins in the process.
Their relentless attacking style, boundless energy and bravery on the ball have already proved too much for the likes of Man Utd and Arsenal, so Kauno stand little chance of resisting for long.
European football at the Amex Stadium has also become something of a strength for the Seagulls, who have won their last four continental home games without conceding a goal.
The hosts have regularly overwhelmed inferior opposition in Sussex and there is further evidence of their attacking firepower in the fact they have scored at least three goals in each of their last five competitive home victories.
The Lithuanian champions were beaten 7-1 on aggregate by Dinamo Zagreb in UEFA Champions League qualifying before a hefty 3-0 first-leg defeat against Besiktas sealed their drop into this competition.
While domestic form has been respectable, the jump from Lithuanian football to facing a top Premier League side on their own ground is substantial.
With the Seagulls scoring freely and Kauno already conceding heavily against stronger European opposition this season, backing Brighton to win in a high-scoring encounter appeals.
Alternative Bet: Brighton over 24.5 shots @ 5/6
One consistent aspect of Kauno’s last two European away defeats has been an inability to stem the bleeding.
Sopic's side allowed Besiktas to take 21 shots in their 3-0 loss in Turkey and faced 22 efforts from Dinamo Zagreb in a 5-0 hammering in Croatia.
Backing Brighton, who are the Premier League’s top scorers with 18 goals and have averaged 18 shots per game domestically, to go beyond those tallies seems more than plausible and they could easily register 25+ efforts across the 90 minutes.
Brighton v FK Kauno Zalgiris Bet Builder Tip
Brighton to win both halves
Olivier Boscagli 2+ shots
Matt O'Riley 3+ shots
Anton Tolordava to be booked
Pays 15/2
Brighton winning both halves is the obvious foundation for this Bet Builder given the gulf in quality between the two squads.
Adding Olivier Boscagli to register a couple of shots looks like a good option because of his penchant for a long-range effort.
The Albion star had two attempts against Man Utd - one from inside Brighton’s half - and registered shots in both legs of his side’s play-off round clashes with Tromso.
Likewise, midfielder Matt O'Riley will be keen to impress if he gets a chance to play on Thursday.
He had a couple of efforts in 66 minutes of action at Old Trafford and could top that if he stays on the pitch longer against Kauno.
Visiting defender Anton Tolordava looks an excellent candidate to be carded, too, after receiving four bookings in seven European appearances so far this season.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Brighton have won four consecutive matches in all competitions
The Seagulls have lost only one of their first nine games this season (W6, D2)
Brighton beat Tromso 4-0 on aggregate to reach the league phase of the Conference League
Albion have won their last four European home games without conceding a goal
The Seagulls have scored 3+ goals in each of their last five competitive home victories
Kauno Zalgiris were beaten 7-1 on aggregate by Dinamo Zagreb in UEFA Champions League qualifying
Kauno also exited the Europa League qualifiers after losing to Besiktas
This is Kauno Zalgiris' first-ever appearance in the main draw of a major European competition
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
