Fulham v Brighton: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Fourth-placed Brighton face a tricky test when they head to the capital to take on Fulham in the Premier League on Thursday.

The Seagulls are flying high as they look to compete for a European place this season, but they are set to be in for a tough challenge against the Cottagers, who are in mid-table, but just four points worse off.

The congested nature of the top half means there is just five points separating fourth and 13th, so this should be a closely fought game at Craven Cottage.

Fulham v Brighton betting tips and predictions

Draw - 13/5

Fulham have been inconsistent at home this season, mixing some good wins over the likes of Newcastle and Brentford with defeats against Aston Villa and, most recently, Wolves, who left West London with an emphatic 4-1 victory.

Fulham went to Tottenham last weekend and secured a fully deserved draw and they can follow up with another point here as they look to improve on their 10th place in the standings.

Marco Silva's side are a tough prospect for most teams and they will be a good match for Brighton.

In Fabian Hurzeler's first season in charge, the Seagulls have largely impressed, in particular with wins over champions Manchester City, Spurs and Newcastle.

However, there have also been some disappointing results, like their home draws with struggling Wolves and Southampton.

Albion and the Cottagers look like two evenly-matched teams and their records this term are similar, although Brighton's six wins compared to five for Fulham means they are riding that bit higher.

Brighton have scored just four more goals than the Londoners and conceded one fewer, to further highlight the similarities between the two sides' performances so far.

Kaoru Mitoma to score anytime - 3/1

Kaoru Mitoma had a quiet start to the season by his own high standards and, even though he was a regular in the early weeks of the campaign, the Japan international was struggling in front of goal.

However, he has come alive in the past few weeks and, after scoring in his last two matches - his first goals since the opening weekend of the season - he looks in much better shape.

The 27-year-old can maintain his improved form with another goal against the Cottagers as he looks to add to his tally of 16 overall for Brighton.

Mitoma is one of the visitors' biggest goal threats and now he looks to be back close to his best, he can torment a Fulham defence that has only kept two clean sheets in the league all season.

Raul Jimenez - over 2.5 shots - 10/11

Raul Jimenez is enjoying a bit of a renaissance this season as the 33-year-old has hit four goals in the league for Silva's side.

The Mexico international is clearly relishing being fully fit again, putting a few years of injury problems behind him and the centre-forward is one of the home players Brighton must watch carefully on Thursday.

Jimenez has had at least two shots in his last six outings for Fulham, while in three of those matches he had four shots, so the likelihood of the former Wolves man having three or more on Thursday seems high.

The striker has had a total of 34 shots in 16 appearances - of which 12 were starts - in all competitions for the Cottagers, so he averages just over two per game.

Jimenez looks set to have some joy against a Brighton defence that has conceded 17 league goals, with only woefully-out-of-form Manchester City conceding more than them amongst the teams currently in the top seven.

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Fulham v Brighton odds

Fulham - 27/20
Draw - 13/5
Brighton - 15/8

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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.