On Saturday, the Seagulls will be taking on the Wolves – not once, but twice! VfL are playing two matches against their Premier League opponents, one at 12:30 CEST behind closed doors and another at 18:00 CEST, which will be shown live on Wölfe TV.
Established in top flight
Founded in 1901, Brighton & Hove Albion had a brief spell in the English top tier between 1979 and 1983. They endured some tough times over the following decades but only narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2013 and 2016. Since making it back up eight years ago, however, the Seagulls have not only avoided relegation but actually become one of the ‘best of the rest’ on the coat-tails of the established powerhouses. The last two seasons saw them come eighth and 11th, after a sixth-place finish in 2023 was enough to get them into the Europa League for the first time.
German influence
Brighton have some familiar names in their ranks, beginning with German head coach Fabian Hürzeler, who steered St. Pauli into the top flight before heading to the south coast of England at the start of last season. On the pitch, they have German player Brajan Gruda, who turned out for Mainz, and Frenchman Georginio Rutter, formerly of Hoffenheim. Then there is Guro Bergsvand, a recent recruit for the She-Wolves who joined the club this summer from Brighton Women.
Seagulls on the horizon
Brighton are known as ‘The Seagulls’, partly due to their proximity to the English Channel. The club’s badge also features a seagull, and there will even be a huge one alongside the pitch at the 31,800-capacity Amex Stadium on Saturday, since their mascot is none other than ‘Gully the Seagull’.
