Brighton & Hove Albion Women enjoyed their most successful campaign in the Women's Super League last season when they finished in sixth spot, and they will want to emulate that this season starting with a visit from West Ham United Women to the People's Pension Stadium.
Hammers manager Olli Harder is about to embark on his first full campaign with the club, having arrived in December last year, eventually guiding the side to a ninth-placed finish in the WSL.
Match preview
Hope Powell's side picked up 14 more points last term than they managed during the 2019-20 campaign, and the manager wants to add goals to her squad to improve further.
The Seagulls scored 21 times in 22 matches last season, but they will hope the addition of former Arsenal striker Danielle Carter will increase those stats in front of goal.
The signing of Carter is a significant one for Brighton as the 28-year-old became the first player to join the club for a transfer fee, whereas many of their players prior to Carter arrived at the club when they were out of contract.
Brighton concluded their pre-season friendly fixtures with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, and Carter got herself amongst the goals straight away when she equalised for her side.
West Ham's preparations for the new season saw Harder's side travel to Championship team Lewes, with the game ending in a 2-2 draw as Claudia Walker's brace pulled the game back for the Hammers.
The Irons' defensive strength towards the end of last season, when they registered four clean sheets in their last six WSL games, proved to be enough to avoid relegation, which they achieved by three points.
During their draw with Lewes, West Ham welcomed back Mackenzie Arnold between the posts after she was away representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, and Harder will be looking for the 27-year-old to start the season strongly with a clean sheet against Brighton.
West Ham were much more prolific in front of goal last year than the three sides that finished below them, and the signing of creative Japanese midfielder Yui Hasegawa could add to their goalscoring tally this season which will help the Hammers climb the table.
Brighton got the better of West Ham during the 2020-21 campaign, winning both fixtures by the scoreline 1-0, thanks to strikes from Aileen Whelan and Rianna Jarrett, who has since left the club.
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Team News
The additions of Carter, Geum-Min Lee, on a permanent deal after a loan spell with the club, and Rinsola Babajide means that Powell's side could line up with a new-look front three in the hope of scoring more goals this season.
Young defender Maya Le Tissier is an exciting talent to watch out for during the upcoming campaign, having been named in the top 10 best young footballers in the world in Goal's 2021 NXGN awards, and she has been rewarded for her 30 WSL appearances with a new contract.
West Ham forward Adriana Leon enters this season full of confidence after winning gold with Canada at the Tokyo Olympics, and along with Walker, the pair will hold much of the responsibility to score the goals for Harder's side.
The addition of Lisa Evans on loan from Arsenal should help strengthen the squad, especially considering that she is a versatile player who can operate at wing-back and in midfield.
The East London outfit added international experience with their first signing of this summer's transfer window, bringing in Australian midfielder Tameka Yallop, who has gained 82 caps for her country.
Brighton & Hove Albion Women possible starting lineup:
Walsh; Gibbons; Kerkdijk, Le Tissier, Koivisto; Bowman, Connolly, Kaagman; Babajide, Carter, Geum-Min
West Ham United Women possible starting lineup:
Arnold; Garrad, Flaherty, Cissoko, Joel; Hasegawa, Evans, Yallop; Walker, Leon, Mustafa
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion Women 2-0 West Ham United Women
Brighton have seemingly recruited well in the attacking part of the pitch with the signings of Carter and Babajide, and the Seagulls could rely on them to secure their first three points of the season on Sunday.
West Ham will want to improve on their position last season, but ultimately the goal will be to avoid relegation again, and Brighton's higher aims for the season suggests that they are favourites for this weekend's clash.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Brighton & Hove Albion Women win with a probability of 66.78%. A draw had a probability of 18.6% and a win for West Ham United Women had a probability of 14.66%.
The most likely scoreline for a Brighton & Hove Albion Women win was 2-0 with a probability of 10.09%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.78%) and 1-0 (8.88%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.6%), while for a West Ham United Women win it was 1-2 (4.16%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 10.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-0 win for Brighton & Hove Albion Women in this match.
