Brighton will take on AEK Athens in their much-awaited Europa League debut at the Falmer Stadium on Thursday.
Brighton clinched a historic spot in European competitions for the first time ever, thanks to their sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last season. They will be high on confidence after a strong performance against Manchester United in their most recent outing. Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro scored as the Red Devils were beaten 1-3.
AEK Athens have only won one out of their first three games in their Greek Super League and will be hoping to put up a fight against Premier League opponents away from home. Ezequiel Ponce's strike wasn't enpugh to secure a win in their most recent outing, which was a 1-1 draw against Olympiakos.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Brighton vs AEK Athens kick-off time
| Date: | September 21, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8pm BST |
| Venue: | Falmer Stadium |
The game between Brighton and AEK Athens will be played at the Falmer Stadium on Thursday. Kick-off is at 8pm BST for fans in the UK.
How to watch Brighton vs AEK Athens online - TV channels & live streams
The fixture will be shown live on TNT Sports in the United Kingdom. Match highlights will be shown on the club's official YouTube channels after the full-time whistle. Live updates can be accessed here on GOAL.
Team news & squads
Brighton team news
Brighton will be expected to field a formidable starting lineup, possibly with a few adjustments compared to the team that played against Manchester United.
Julio Enciso is still recovering from an injury and is likely to be joined on the sidelines by key players Pervis Estupinan and Solly March, who also missed the recent match at Old Trafford.
Fans can expect Evan Ferguson to return to the starting lineup and take the lead upfront. He has already scored four Premier League goals this season, including a memorable hat-trick against Newcastle United. Ansu Fati, who has joined the club on loan from Barcelona, is also expected to feature.
Brighton predicted XI: Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Lamptey; Dahoud, Gross; Adingra, Pedro, Fati; Ferguson
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Verbruggen, Steele, McGill |
| Defenders: | Webster, Dunk, Igor, Van Hecke, Veltman |
| Midfielders: | Dahoud, Gilmour, Grob, Alzate, Milner, Buonanotte, Lallana, Moran, Mitoma, Baleba |
| Forwards: | Pedro, Zeqiri, Adingra, Fati, Ferguson |
AEK Athens team news
AEK Athens are facing a number of injury issues ahead of their big clash against Brighton.
Mijat Gacinovic, Paolo Fernandes, and Rodolfo Pizarro are currently unavailable. Experienced defender Domagoj Vida had to be substituted at halftime in their recent match against Olympiakos and may not be fit enough to start the upcoming game.
AEK Athens predicted XI: Stankovic; Rota, Mitoglou, Moukoudi, Mohammadi; Eliasson, Szymanski, Jonsson, Amrabat; Araujo, Ponce
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Stankovic, Ginis, Theocharis |
| Defenders: | Moukoudi, Mohammadi, Rota, Callens, Vida, Pilios, Hajsafi, Mitoglou, Sidibe, Chrysopoulos |
| Midfielders: | Szymanski, Amrabat, Jonsson, Garcia, Gacinovic, Zuber, Pineda, Eliasson, Mantalos, Galanopoulos, Fernandes |
| Forwards: | Van Weert, Araujo, Ponce, Zine |
Head-to-Head Record
This is set to be the first-ever meeting between Brighton and AEK Athens.