Do Brighton really have a chance of qualifying for Europe this season? | OneFootball

Two months after fans at the Amex called for Fabian Hurzeler to go, Brighton have surged back into the European conversation. Four wins in five have followed a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace and 1-0 at Aston Villa.

According to NY Times, they are 10th on 43 points, three behind Brentford in seventh, and worse off than this stage last season. They finished eighth on 61, missing Europe by four as Nottingham Forest took seventh with 65, and finishing below seventh could still be enough with a record nine Premier League clubs in Europe this season.

That revival came after one win in 13, but the run-in leaning away from home may suit. Results on the road have improved, including 2-0 at Brentford and 1-0 at Sunderland after a 1-1 draw at Manchester City.

Next is Burnley on Saturday, then relegation-haunted Tottenham Hotspur on 18 April, Roberto De Zerbi’s home debut against his former club. Chelsea and Manchester United visit the Amex, while bottom Wolves could still trip them after October’s 1-1.

Hurzeler and captain Lewis Dunk are suspended for the next two matches after bookings against Liverpool. The coach’s sixth caution, for waving an imaginary card, keeps him off the touchline at Burnley and Spurs, while Dunk’s 10th, for time-wasting, rules him out too.

Since 2017 about 59 points have been needed for seventh. Brighton are 16 short with 21 available, so the target is demanding, yet with various permutations lowering the bar there remains an outside chance and hope has returned.

Source: NY Times