This is a very good matchup for BTTS from a tactical point of view. West Ham have switched to a team that mainly play in transition, brought about by the appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo, who has steadied the side and allowed West Ham to gradually pick up points, with the Hammers only losing one of their last five matches.

This is relevant because Brighton play with quite a bold defensive line, which could push up even higher here, against a West Ham side that like to be patient and wait for gaps to appear when their opponents have overcommitted to their attack.

Brighton saw BTTS last time out as they fell to a 4-2 defeat against Aston Villa - Fabian Hurzeler’s side have seen 25 goals across their seven home matches this season (3.57 per game).

West Ham can look to exploit their high line with runners in behind. Bowen, in particular, has been a very useful asset for West Ham when trying to get beyond a high line. The Hammers have seen BTTS in four of their last five matches, only failing to score against Liverpool in this period - a game where they were reduced to 10 men.

Jarrod Bowen had four shots against Manchester United last time out, taking his tally to 35 for the season across his 14 appearances (2.50 per 90). He’s had 2+ shots in each of his last five Premier League appearances and is benefitting from the change of style that Nuno Espírito Santo has orchestrated since arriving at the club.

West Ham now getting the majority of their chances in moments of transition, after sitting deep and soaking up pressure. This could be particularly effective against a Brighton side that plays with one of the highest defensive lines in the Premier League, leading to sides consistently being able to create chances against them.

This was on display in Brighton’s 4-3 defeat against Aston Villa last time out, as they conceded 14 shots and an xG of 2.41 at home - against a Villa side that usually aren’t the greatest travellers. Bowen had two shots in this fixture last season, as well as registering two assists as Brighton ran out 3-2 winners over the Hammers at the Amex. He also had three shots when the sides met at the London Stadium last term, with that game ending 1-1.

Magassa put in his best performance in a West Ham shirt so far against Manchester United last time out with the 22-year-old winning four fouls from his 21 duels in total. He won more duels than any other player on the pitch (11) and completed the most tackles (four), highlighting just how effective he was for the Hammers.

Magassa has all the attributes to be a successful midfielder in the Premier League, including an imposing stature which can help him win fouls. He’s won six fouls overall across his 349 minutes of Premier League football (1.55 per 90) and will be up against a combative Brighton midfield here.

Magassa’s main opponent here is likely to be Carlos Baleba, who is yet to hit the heights he reached last season, but has retained his aggression levels. Baleba has committed 18 fouls across his 14 Premier League appearances this season (2.08 per 90) - putting him in a great position to haul down Magassa at least once here.

Brighton are amongst the best pressing sides in the Premier League, and this naturally comes with a healthy foul count. The Seagulls are averaging 11.9 fouls committed per game in the Premier League this season (4th in PL) and sit 2nd for yellow cards (35).

Fabian Hurzeler’s side are likely to come away with a decent foul count again here with the threat that West Ham can pose in transition. The Hammers drew 13 fouls from Manchester United last time out - forcing the Red Devils to exceed their foul average of 10.1 fouls committed per game this season.

Brighton have committed 9+ fouls in all 14 of their Premier League matches this season, with 12 of those games seeing them commit 10 or more fouls and six seeing at least 12 fouls - so it may be worth testing higher lines for Brighton’s foul count here.

Minteh has been one of my favourite players to watch in the Premier League this season, and it’s only a matter of time before he earns a move to one of the elite clubs in Europe. He’s registered five goal contributions across his 14 appearances for Brighton this season, four of those being assists.

Only Danny Welbeck (seven) has registered more goal contributions for Brighton this season than Yankuba Minteh, with the winger producing another impressive performance against Aston Villa last time out. Minteh created more chances (three) and completed more dribbles (five) than any other player on the pitch in that 4-3 defeat to Villa, and can be particularly useful against a stubborn low block.

Minteh’s last two assists have come against sides that sat deep against Brighton - Brentford and Leeds. This suggests that Minteh has the quality to unlock stubborn backlines and can continue to be a threat from the wide areas, with his underlying numbers suggesting that he’s not far off from being one of the most complete wingers in the Premier League.

Nuno Espírito Santo often doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his tactical nous, and his latest use of Soucek highlights how creative he can be in his approach.

I was a bit shocked to see the clunky 6ft 3in frame of Soucek on the wing against Manchester United last time out, but Espírito Santo had put him there with the intention of targeting Soucek with long balls from goal kicks, with Bowen tucking into a central role.

Soucek then had two other roles, with one of those being to get on the end of Malick Diouf’s dangerous crosses and the other to track Cunha when he dropped into pockets from the 10 role.

Soucek is rarely subtle due to his imposing frame, as further displayed by his average of 1.48 fouls committed per 90 this season. He hasn’t received a yellow card yet, but was sent off in West Ham’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham earlier in the season.

Soucek could be tasked with a similar role here, but it’s likely that his future is in the middle of the park. Soucek picked up eight yellow cards across his 35 Premier League appearances last season - the 2nd-highest tally in the West Ham squad.

Baleba is not playing at the level he set last season, and looks a tad disinterested, with his mind possibly elsewhere, having been heavily linked to Manchester United in the summer, with the club set to explore that move again in January.

Baleba has collected four yellow cards across his 14 appearances in the Premier League this season - the joint-most in the Brighton squad. His most recent caution in the Premier League came before the international break against Crystal Palace, and he could find himself having to make a few tactical fouls here with how West Ham like to play.

Jarrod Bowen drew five fouls against Manchester United last time out, and may reassume the central role he played in behind the striker for this clash, which would pit him against Baleba. The Brighton midfielder is averaging 2.08 fouls committed per 90 in the Premier League this season, and plays for a side which rank 2nd in the league for yellow cards (35).