Brighton vs West Ham Picks and Predictions: Mitoma's Selfless Play Lifts Brighton

The final game on Saturday’s Premier League slates sees Brighton welcoming West Ham to the Amex Stadium. Brighton entered the weekend at the top of the Premier League and want to keep the good times rolling against a West Ham side fresh off a morale-boosting win over Chelsea.

Can Brighton continue their incredible start to the season or will they struggle to break down David Moyes’ visiting squad? Don’t miss our Brighton vs. West Ham tips and predictions.

Brighton vs West Ham best odds

Brighton vs West Ham picks and predictions

While Brighton might only be on top of the standings because of goal difference, it's still it’s an achievement to be level — even early on — with Man City and Arsenal, the Premier League’s two best teams last season.

West Ham have also had an impressive start and entered the weekend seventh with four of the available six points so far. There had been real worries around David Moyes’ team, both due to the loss of the talismanic midfielder Declan Rice over the summer and then the gambling investigation into Brazilian star Lucas Paqueta. The Brazilian, much like the team, has started well. West Ham drew on the road to a tricky Bournemouth team and then managed to thrash old rivals Chelsea 3-1 last weekend. That said, our best bet focuses around Brighton and a player who fully embodies the club.

It's been a great couple of years for Brighton. Under the ownership of Tony Bloom, they’ve used data and analytics to reach the Premier League and turned themselves into a real force. They play with incredible style and last year’s sixth-place finish was a victory for their strategy. They’ve made a lot of money recruiting young, or perhaps unspotted talent and selling them to bigger clubs for huge fees, such as Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo. But the next player to leave a superstar is the man behind our best bet, Kaoru Mitoma.

The 26-year-old Japanese international arrived from Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 and, after a loan spell in Belgium, has become a huge player for the Seagulls. Last year, he was arguably Brighton’s best player and one of the best attacking talents in the Premier League, racking up seven goals and five assists. 

He plays on the left flank and uses his great close control to advance the ball and his great range of passing to bring in his teammates. With his combination of skillful dribbling and a keen eye for either a goal or a killer pass, he’s a nightmare to defend. The good news for Brighton fans is he looks even better this season. 

Through two games, he’s already scored once and assisted two goals and it’s clear to see why he’s linked with a number of big clubs. He’ll be matched up against West Ham right-back Vladimir Coufal on Saturday and will give him a terrible day’s work. I was tempted to recommend a Coufal card as my best bet at +265 but instead, I’ll be backing the Mitoma assist. He’s already had two this season and with his movement and dynamism, he’s going to cause serious problems for the West Ham backline. 

My best bet: Kaoru Mitoma Over 0.5 assists (+275 at bet365)

Brighton vs West Ham same-game parlay

Kaoru Mitoma Over 0.5 assists

Vladimir Coufal to get booked

Most goals to be scored in second half

+1,800 at bet365

We’ve got a monster SGP at +1,800 odds, largely because our best bet already has odds of +275.

The first leg, as usual, is our best bet and we’ll be backing Kaoru Mitoma to have Over 0.5 assists in the game. His ability to bring the ball into attacking areas means he’s going to get in great positions to assist his team’s strikers.

Next up, and previously hinted at, we’re backing Vladimir Coufal to get booked. The West Ham right-back already has one yellow card this season and will struggle against the Japanese attacker, who will run at him directly all day and put Coufal into positions, which may force him to give up fouls.

The final leg on our SGP is for most of the game's goals to be scored in the second half. So far, Brighton have won both of their Premier League games 4-1, and eight of those 10 goals came after halftime. Likewise, four of the six goals in West Ham’s two games this season have been scored in the second half. With the new extra time rules in place this season, it makes sense that we’ll see more goals in the second half and the trends for both teams support this bet too.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Brighton vs West Ham spread and Over/Under analysis

I’m very bullish on Brighton and given how brilliantly they’ve played so far this season, I’m expecting them to win here and claim the three points. That said, you can only get -190 on them, which feels risky and given some of the other markets on offer for this game, I’d rather bet elsewhere. The draw is at +375 and West Ham to win at +525, but neither of those options is appealing.

The bookies are expecting goals, too, with Over 2.5 goals clocking in at -190. I think we’ll see at least three goals here but I can’t recommend backing it at those odds and would argue that the Under at +175 offers a far better value proposition. If you’re expecting goals, then perhaps the Both Teams to Score market is a better option, as you can get that at -150. That seems like a better bet given that both teams have scored and conceded in both of their games so far this season.

Brighton vs West Ham game info

Brighton vs West Ham key injuries

Brighton: Jakub Moder CM (Out), Julio Enciso CAM (Out).
West Ham: Jakub Moder CM (Out), Julio Enciso CAM (Out).

Brighton vs West Ham recent league form

Teams	Recent Premier League Form
Brighton	W-W
West Ham	W-D

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