Arsenal legend makes Brighton and Brentford prediction amid bold claim over '£70m' star

Paul Merson says Premier League teams have "got used to playing against Brighton" but has backed them to beat Brentford on Wednesday.
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Albion fell to a disheartening 3-2 loss to 10-man Chelsea on Sunday whereas the Bees beat Luton Town 3-1, meaning Roberto De Zerbi's eighth-placed side are three points and three places ahead of Thomas Frank's men.

The London outfit picked up four points against the Seagulls last season and will look to make it four wins from their last six Premier League games when they lock horns at the Amex.

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Despite Brighton winning just one of their last seven top-flight matches and Merson claiming their opponents have come up with effective strategies against them, the Arsenal legend has predicted a 2-0 home win.

Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford reacts during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Arsenal FC at Gtech Community Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford reacts during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Arsenal FC at Gtech Community Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford reacts during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Arsenal FC at Gtech Community Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

He added that the player to watch for the Bees, who are without the banned Ivan Toney, will be forward Bryan Mbeumo, who has six goals and four assists this season; with Merson believing the Cameroonian could be a £70 million player one day.

"Brighton are a bag of revels at the moment. They didn't win in six matches and then went on to win a couple of games, before playing a ten-man Chelsea side for a full half without making the most of it. That Chelsea result was particularly disappointing for Brighton," he told Sportskeeda.

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"Brentford are not doing well at the moment. I like Mbeumo - if he scored goals consistently, he'd be worth £70 million. The lad is an absolute handful - he's direct, pacy, selfless, and makes runs off the ball. He's just not a natural goalscorer - if he had that going for him, he'd be massive.

"Teams in the Premier League have got used to playing against Brighton. The other teams used to have a go at them, and now they put ten men behind the ball and hit them on the counter. Brighton have earned a lot of respect, and they'll need to find a solution now. I think they have enough firepower to win this game."