Barcelona captain Raphinha scored a hat-trick to lead his side to a commanding 4-1 home victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The win for Barca at their temporary Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys home ends a near decade-long winless run against the German powerhouses.

Raphinha's inspired night started when he gave Barca the lead a little over a minute after kick-off as he received a fine pass through by midfielder Fermin Lopez, beat the offside trap and rounded the onrushing Manuel Neuer to tap into the empty net.

Harry Kane leveled the score with a volley in the 18th minute, only for Robert Lewandowski to put the home team back in front in the 36th minute against his former side after a mistake by Bayern's defence.

Raphinha then extended Barca's lead with two goals from quick counter-attacks either side of half-time.

Barca are ninth in the Champions League standings on six points from three games, while Bayern are 23rd on three points after a second consecutive defeat.

Data Debrief: Bayern blown away by brilliant Raphinha

This was expected to be a tight contest between two behemoths of the European game, but Raphinha had other ideas as he struck the first of his three goals inside just 54 seconds.

That is the second-earliest goal Barca have scored in the Champions League, beaten only by Mark van Bommel's goal against Panathinaikos in 2005 after 36 seconds.

He is the first player to score twice in the first half of a Champions League game against Bayern since Neymar did so far Barcelona in May 2015, and he only added to the German side's misery with his third in the second period.

Darwin Nunez marked his return to the Liverpool XI with the only goal in his side's 1-0 victory at RB Leipzig as their 100% start in the Champions League continued on Wednesday.

With Diogo Jota ruled out because of injury, Nunez got his chance and delivered in the 27th minute by poking home from Mohamed Salah's header.

That proved enough to secure Liverpool's sixth away win out of six in all competitions this season and maintain an excellent start to new manager Arne Slot's reign.

The Reds also have a perfect record home and away in the Champions League, putting them second in the 36-team league phase with nine points, behind only Aston Villa on goal difference.

Liverpool had chances to add to their lead, seeing claims for a penalty waved away while Alexis Mac Allister hit the crossbar, but it was not all one-way traffic.

Lois Openda twice saw goals disallowed for offside, and Leipzig wasted several other promising opportunities as their wait for a first point goes on.

Data Debrief: Slot's stunning start continues

This was an 11th win from Slot's first 12 matches as Liverpool boss; no other manager has achieved that feat in English top-flight history.

Strong starts specifically in the Champions League are more commonplace for the Reds, with this their third campaign to start with three straight wins – all of those coming in the past five seasons. With a daunting schedule to come across all competitions, those nine points provide a vital buffer early in their European campaign.

Leipzig had more chances than most against this dominant Liverpool defence, but they were caught offside five times. On the occasions they did time their runs, the Bundesliga side were faced with an inspired goalkeeper in Caoimhín Kelleher, who made six saves, his joint-most in a European match.

John McGinn believes Unai Emery has already cemented his status as one of Aston Villa's "greatest managers", following their perfect start in the Champions League.

Appearing in Europe's premier club competition for the first time in over 40 years, Villa have won each of their opening three matches, while they are yet to concede a goal.

Their unblemished start continued on Tuesday, with goals from McGinn and Jhon Duran sealing a 2-0 victory over Bologna at Villa Park and moving them top of the league table.

Though Villa are still seeking their first silverware under Emery during his two-year spell, McGinn thinks the Spaniard's place in the club's history is already secured.

"No matter what happens until now and whenever he leaves - we hope it's never - he will certainly go down as one of our club's greatest managers," the skipper said.

"You feed off your leader. He is our leader and we feed off that. No-one can question what he puts in, the effort - and everything which comes his way and our way is on the back of hard work.

"He is just so driven. I have never met anyone like him. He just focuses his full energy all the time. 

"He does not let us take our foot off the gas, so we can use all our energy and enthusiasm, and the excitement we have. His determination and intensity is unmatched."

Erik ten Hag believes both he and former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will be successful this season, knowing they both must continue to prove their worth.

Ten Hag faces one of his Old Trafford predecessors on Thursday when United visit Mourinho's Fenerbahce in the Europa League.

The current United boss is a man under pressure after a difficult start to the season, despite delivering silverware in each of his first two seasons in England.

Those were the Red Devils' first trophies since Mourinho was in charge, with the Portuguese leaving Manchester in 2018 and subsequently working at Tottenham, Roma and now Fenerbahce.

Fener are now fourth in Turkey's Super Lig, eight points off the pace, albeit with a game in hand.

But Ten Hag has faith in Mourinho, just as he does in his own ability to turn United's fortunes around.

"Mourinho and I, we won a lot of trophies the last years, but you have to prove yourself every year," the Dutchman said. "When you don't win, we are always under criticism.

"We know that we are experienced enough. Professional football is about winning games, and when you don't win, the criticism is coming.

"But at the end of the day, it's about how you are at the end of the year.

"Mourinho is so experienced, he will lead this team to its best form, he will be successful and so will we.

"We are convinced we are in the right direction, that we follow the right path and we will achieve what our targets are."

Fenerbahce fell into the Europa League after losing a Champions League qualifier to Lille but have at least earned four points from their first two matches in Europe's secondary competition.

United have made hard work of winning two points across the same period, their European form no more impressive than domestic results, which have them 12th in the Premier League.

Going back to last season's miserable Champions League campaign, United are winless in five European matches, their worst run since the 1980s.

"Man United didn't win in Europe [since Mourinho's Europa League win] and it's also for us a target, what we want to achieve, and we have a big opportunity this season," Ten Had added.

"We have the quality, we have to win games. It's a new set-up, we are two games under way, we have two points, we know what we have to do and win games.

"This season we just started, we have two draws. First season, I think we won a lot of European games. Last season, obviously it was for domestic and also in Europe a difficult journey.

"But we are confident, we are confident we are capable to do this, to win games in the Premier League and in Europe."

Enzo Maresca has confirmed it is "not possible" for Chelsea to use Josh Acheampong while the Real Madrid-linked defender refuses to sign a new contract.

The highly rated 18-year-old is under contract at Chelsea only until the end of next season, and a number of leading clubs, including European champions Madrid, are said to be interested in prising him away from Stamford Bridge.

Acheampong has so far played only twice for Chelsea, making his Premier League debut against Tottenham in May before appearing in last month's EFL Cup win against Barrow.

But reports this week revealed Acheampong would not appear again for the Blues until his future was resolved.

For head coach Maresca, who had hoped to use the academy graduate in Thursday's Conference League clash with Panathinaikos, it is a blow.

"I feel a bit of shame for Josh because this kind of game is an opportunity for him," said Maresca.

"I had a chat with him personally, about three weeks ago, about his situation. The chat we had was very good, positive, but I haven't spoken with him since.

"It is a shame because I really think he is potentially a top player.

"The first thing we need to do is to find a solution for his contract, for his future. It's a bad situation for him at the moment. I don't know if the people are helping him or not.

"I really like Josh and I would like to have him here with us, but it is not possible."

Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen will play in Greece, Maresca said, while forwards Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix also hope to feature.

"Similar to Joao, [Mudryk] is doing well, but in this moment there are more players that are doing well," Maresca explained. "It is important for him and the rest that when they get the chance, they take it."

Atalanta failed to turn their dominance into goals, as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Celtic at Gewiss Stadium.

The hosts endured a frustrating day in Bergamo, where they were unable to find the breakthrough, despite registering 22 shots on goal to their opponents' four.

Atalanta had collected four points from their opening two games, and quickly established their authority on proceedings.

They went closest to scoring in the 18th minute, when Mario Pasalic rattled the crossbar with his header from Davide Zappacosta's cross.

The hosts continued to control the contest and push for the opening goal in the second half, enjoying just under 70% of the possession.

However, a combination of stubborn defending and Kasper Schmeichel heroics saw Celtic hold on for a hard-earned point.

Data Debrief: Italian Job well done by Celtic

Celtic had lost all seven of their previous Champions League away matches in Italy. The Hoops had also suffered defeat in eight of their last nine games in the competition on the road.

However, they held firm to stop the rot, with Kasper Schmeichel becoming the first Celtic goalkeeper to make as many as six saves and keep a clean sheet in a Champions League game on record.

As for Atalanta, they are only the second team in the Champions League (2008-09 onwards) to register 20+ shots and 50+ touches in the opposition box during a single match without scoring.

Brest and Bayer Leverkusen played out a 1-1 draw in the Champions League on Wednesday, ending both teams' winning starts to the competition.

The German champions took early control and were rewarded with a 24th-minute lead when Florian Wirtz completed a superb passing move with a low finish.

Brest's 39th-minute equaliser was even more spectacular, with 31-year-old Pierre Lees-Melou powering in a sumptuous volley from the edge of the box to score on his maiden Champions League appearance.

The hosts had the better of the second-half chances, with Mama Balde coming the closest to a winner following a quick counter-attack, but he could only hit the side netting.

Both sides had penalty shouts at the end of either half, with VAR reviews leading to neither being given, and there was nothing to separate the teams after 90 minutes. 

Brest and Leverkusen are level on seven points from three matches, sitting third and fourth respectively, two points behind leaders Aston Villa.

Data Debrief: Wirtz shines as Leverkusen stutter again

It has been a mixed season for Leverkusen so far, with Xabi Alonso's side not quite hitting their free-flowing best from last term.

Wirtz once again starred for the visitors and became the fifth player born after the millennium to score 15 major European goals, after Phil Foden, Rodrygo, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior.

In fact, since his European debut in August 2020, he has been directly involved in more goals in major European competitions than any other German player (27 - 15 goals, 12 assists).

As for Lees-Melou, he became the second-oldest Frenchman (aged 31 years, 151 days) to score on his Champions League debut, after Daniel Bravo in 1994 (31y 217d).

Rob Valentino is delighted Atlanta United have hit their stride in time for the MLS playoffs and is relishing their Best-of-3 Round One clash with Inter Miami at Chase Stadium.

The Five Stripes overturned the odds on Decision Day to snag a place in the Eastern Conference Wild Card round.

They took a 2-0 lead over CF Montreal before former player Josef Martinez pegged them back to force spot-kicks. Brad Guzan saved one, setting up Saba Lobjanidze to score the winner.

A tough test now awaits them in Miami on Friday, but Valentino is sure they can come up with a plan to get the better of Lionel Messi and co.

"We have worked so hard this season, every training, every game," he said. "Now we're starting to succeed, and it's the best timing in the end of the season to show that. Three in a row is very good! Let's continue!

"I think every time a team plays them, [how to stop Messi is] the question that is asked, right? He's arguably the best player that's ever played.

"We've faced him a few times and we know obviously his qualities. But they've got other players that are good, too. So there has to be a focus on him and also these teammates around him.

"We'll just show up when the game is there, and we'll go to win it."

Meanwhile, Miami, who are playing their first home playoff game, finished the regular season in record-breaking fashion, with their 6-2 victory over New England Revolution taking them to 74 points.

The Supporters' Shield winners are on an 11-match unbeaten streak coming into this match, and head coach Gerardo Martino believes their strong finish will benefit them in the playoffs.

"[The record points total] gives our team an injection of confidence," said Martino.

"These 74 points is not something we aimed for at the start of the year, but as soon as it was within reach, we tried to get it and we did it. It's a triumph for the whole Inter Miami family."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Inter Miami – Lionel Messi

Messi was involved in 1.82 direct goal contributions per 90 minutes this season, his highest rate in a league season in over a decade.

His 11-minute hat-trick off the bench against New England last time out took him to 20 goals for the campaign, adding to his 10 assists, and he is bound to be a threat in the playoffs.

Atlanta United – Saba Lobjanidze

Lobjanidze has come up with big goals throughout the season for Atlanta, but none more so than his match-winning penalty against Montreal on Tuesday.

Though that does not count towards his nine-goal haul for the season, he was still a threat in the Wild Card match, having three shots, two of which were on target, while he also had the most touches in the box among his team-mates (eight).

MATCH PREDICTION: INTER MIAMI WIN

After a resounding end to the season, Miami are unsurprisingly favourites to win the first of the Best-of-3 series, but they have stumbled when coming up against Atlanta as of late, drawing their most recent meeting after two straight defeats.

They lost just twice at Chase Stadium in the regular season (W11 D4), with the most recent of those a 3-1 defeat to the Five Stripes back in May, though they are unbeaten in their eight such matches since.

It is just the second time that Miami have made the playoffs – their only previous playoff match was a 3-0 defeat on the road at New York City FC in Round One in 2022.

Meanwhile, Atlanta are making their fifth appearance in the playoffs. They won the MLS Cup back in 2018, but in their two most recent appearances in the postseason, they have failed to get past Round One, losing to Columbus Crew.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Inter Miami – 62.7%

Draw – 19.8%

Atlanta United – 17.5%

Heung-min Son will miss Tottenham's Europa League clash with AZ, head coach Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.

The Spurs skipper returned from a hamstring injury during their victory over West Ham at the weekend, but was absent from training on Wednesday.

Postecoglou said Son would not be risked for the visit of the Eredivisie side on Thursday, with Tottenham aiming to make it three wins from three, having opened their campaign with victories over Qarabag and Ferencvaros.

Although, Richarlison is available and could make his first start of the season, after returning from injury as a substitute against West Ham. 

"Sonny was a bit sore after the weekend," Postecoglou told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "He was never going to be involved tomorrow. [We will] leave him out of tomorrow, and see how he is from there.

"Richy got through this weekend really well, [he is into] almost the second week of training now. [He is] ready to go in terms of being available.

"We've started the competition really well so far, [with] different challenges in both games. We've exposed some of our young players to European football, a positive growth from that.

"From our perspective - here at home - it's a good opportunity to continue our form."

Juanpe said it was "a dream come true" after his goal helped Girona to an historic first Champions League victory in their history.

Michel's side, who are embarking on their maiden campaign in Europe's premier competition, got their first win on the board after seeing off Slovan Bratislava 2-0 on Tuesday.

After opening with successive defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Feyenoord, Girona took a first-half lead through Miguel Gutierrez, before Juanpe's deflected free-kick sealed the victory 17 minutes from time.

And the 33-year-old defender, who is in his ninth season with Blanquivermells, was proud to play his part of a momentous day for the club.

"It's a dream come true. We watched this competition on TV, and this is the pure elite," he said. "I'm very happy. When I scored, I looked at the scoreboard to make sure it was true, my entire football career was going through my mind.

"It's an important triumph and one of the most important moments of my career, scoring in the Champions League with Girona."

"I am very happy for Juanpe," head coach Michel added. "He has been here for many years, and now he has scored in the Champions League.

"We must be happy and proud of these players. Most of their performances were incredible."

Steve Cooper insisted that he will treat Leicester’s upcoming Premier League fixture like “any other game” as he prepares to face former club Nottingham Forest for the first time.

Cooper spent two years at the City Ground, guiding the Tricky Trees to the top-flight in his first season in charge, despite taking over the club when they were bottom of the Championship.

The Welshman guided Forest to safety in his first season in the Premier League but was dismissed in December 2023 after a run of one win in 13 matches.

Coming into Friday’s game on the back of consecutive wins, Cooper was not drawn into the emotions of facing his former employers and is confident the Foxes can continue their forward momentum.

"I'm looking forward to it like any other game. It's a very good culture here and even though we didn't get the results in the early season, it's always been a motivated and hard-working training ground,” Cooper said.

"We look forward to every single game day. Forest is the next game, it doesn't matter who we are playing because we are so focused on ourselves. We are enjoying the journey that we are on.

"It was important we brought in extra players in the summer and in they had to bring some experience and know-how."

Forest, meanwhile, travel to their East Midlands rivals after downing Crystal Palace on Monday, moving them to eighth in the Premier League table after eight games.

The Tricky Trees have improved under Nuno Espirito Santo this season, though the Forest boss was quick to praise the job Cooper had done in his short tenure with the Foxes.

"Tough team, tough match. They have come from two good performances and two good results, it’s not easy to achieve back-to-back wins in the Premier League, they have done it. That should tell that they are in a good moment playing good,” Nuno said.

"It is going to be hard and tough, and you go there to try and fight and be better than them. It’s always the same philosophy.

Nuno will, however, not be on the touchline at the King Power Stadium as he serves the second game of his three-match ban, but said his absence from the sidelines will not affect preparations.

"We have taken care of that and making sure things go normal like they did in this game. We have constant communication with the coaching staff, we know that we are trying to prepare that in Leicester and hopefully, we can do the same,” he concluded.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Leicester – Facundo Buonanotte

Buonanotte has been involved in five goals in his last six Premier League appearances for Leicester (three goals, two assists).

The 19-year-old could become just the 10th teenager to score or assist in four appearances in a row and be the first since Evan Ferguson for Brighton in January 2023.

Nottingham Forest – Elliot Anderson

Anderson is one of only three players to create five or more chances and complete five or more dribbles in a Premier League match this season after his impressive display against Crystal Palace (five chances created and six completed dribbles).

This campaign, only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah against Bournemouth and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka against Leicester have achieved that feat.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Leicester have won their last two Premier League home games against Forest (December 1998 and October 2022), having won neither of their first two in the competition (D1 L1).

After winning none of their first six Premier League games this season (D3 L3), Leicester have since won both of their last two. The Foxes last won three successive matches in the competition in January 2021 under Brendan Rodgers.

And expect an entertaining affair. There have been at least four goals scored in all four of the Foxes Premier League home games against Forest.

But Forest arrive at the King Power Stadium with confidence.  They are unbeaten in their last six away games in the Premier League (W4 D2); their longest run without an away defeat in the top-flight since February-October 1995 (12 games).

The Tricky Trees also won 2-0 against Leicester in their last league meeting (January 2023), last winning consecutive league games against the Foxes in March 2005 and December 2009.

Only Liverpool (three) have conceded fewer goals than Nottingham Forest (six) in the Premier League so far this season, while Nuno’s side also rank third for expected goals against (8.81). They conceded 20 shots against Crystal Palace last time out, yet still held them to under one expected goal (0.97).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Leicester – 37.3%

Draw – 26.4%

Nottingham Forest – 36.3%

Jose Mourinho believes his former clubs Manchester United and Tottenham are the two favourites to win this season's Europa League.

Mourinho's Fenerbahce welcome United on matchday three, with both sides aiming to maintain their unbeaten starts to this season's competition.

The Red Devils, who have opened with two draws against Twente and Porto, ended their five-game winless streak across all competitions with a 2-1 victory over Brentford on Saturday.

United's difficult form has seen the pressure intensify on Erik ten Hag. But Mourinho, who was in charge at Old Trafford between 2016 and 2018, thinks it is only a matter of time before things click into place for the Dutchman.

"If I have to say now which are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League, I think it's easy - Manchester United and Tottenham," he said.

"The Premier League has a different level of quality, intensity, pace, tactical culture - a different level of everything. [On Thursday] I think we are going to play against one of the two strongest teams.

"They have a better team than their results are showing. I studied them the maximum I could. We watched everything in the Premier League, [and previous Europa League games against] Twente and Porto - there is work there. They will succeed sooner or later."

Mourinho, who oversaw a second-place Premier League finish with United during the 2017-18 season, also cheekily asked if he would be entitled to a winner's medal, due to potential charges against Manchester City for allegedly breaching financial rules.

If found guilty of the charges dating from 2009 to 2018, City could face severe punishment, including being stripped of titles.  

One of those could be from the 2017-18 season, when Pep Guardiola's side became the first team to finish a Premier League campaign with 100 points, 19 ahead of Mourinho's United in second place. 

"I think we still have a chance to win that league!" Mourinho joked. "Maybe, they punish Manchester City with points [deducted], we win that league, they have to pay me the bonus, and give me the medal."

Real Madrid have confirmed that both Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo will miss their upcoming Clasico encounter against Barcelona through injury. 

The LaLiga champions revealed that Courtois had sustained an injury to the adductor in his left leg during their 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. 

Madrid also said that Rodrygo, who was replaced by Aurelien Tchouameni in the 85th minute against Dortmund, will undergo an MRI scan later this week. 

The Brazilian was seen holding the back of his leg shortly before playing a role in Lucas Vazquez's goal seven minutes from time. 

Rodrygo has impressed for Carlo Ancelotti's side this term, notching five goal involvements (three goals, two assists) in 13 appearances in all competitions. 

His 16 chances created is a total only bettered by Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior (both 21), though Madrid are not without their reserves at the top end of the pitch. 

Real are already without Dani Carvajal and David Alaba for the visit of their fierce rivals, but have welcomed Brahim Diaz back into training after a month-long lay-off. 

Michael Keane believes Everton have made themselves hard to beat and is looking forward to testing that theory against Fulham in the Premier League.

The Toffees started the season with a run of four consecutive losses, but have since turned things around, going unbeaten in their last four in the top-flight.

Their 2-0 victory over struggling Ipswich Town last weekend helped move them five points clear of the relegation zone in the early standings.

And Keane is delighted with the uptick in their form as they look to extend that run at Goodison Park on Saturday.

"We've become hard to play against," Keane told evertontv.

"Obviously, against Newcastle, it wasn't our best performance but we grinded it out by doing all the ugly things really well and [last week], I think we played a lot better than we did and we got a deserved win.

"To have four games unbeaten now, it gives you that momentum and that confidence going into the next games."

Meanwhile, Fulham have suffered back-to-back losses against Manchester City and Aston Villa in recent weeks, following a five-match unbeaten streak in the league.

Marco Silva is looking to get back to winning ways against his former club and has won his last two away games against Everton in the Premier League.

However, the Cottagers went down to 10 men against Villa, having given up their lead, and Silva was left bemused by the decision that will leave him without Joachim Andersen for the trip to Merseyside.

"[Villa was] not the best performance from us," Silva said.

"But we're all confused [about the red card], we all don't understand, even for you, for fans for staff, managers and players, we're all confused because when things happen, we try to understand why and respect."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Everton – Dwight McNeil

Dwight McNeil has been involved in six goals in his last six Premier League appearances (three goals, three assists) for Everton.

He is only the third Toffees player with three goals and three assists in the opening eight games of a season, after Francis Jeffers in 1999-00 and James Rodriguez in 2020-21.

Fulham – Raul Jimenez

Raul Jimenez has scored or assisted in each of his last five Premier League appearances for Fulham (four goals, one assist).

No Cottagers player has done so in six games in a row, while only three players have scored or assisted in six in a row aged 33 or older: Gus Poyet aged 34 in 2001, Dennis Bergkamp aged 35 in 2004, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic aged 35 in 2017.

MATCH PREDICTION: EVERTON WIN

Since losing their first four Premier League matches this season, Everton are unbeaten in four games (W2 D2). Only once have the Toffees gone five unbeaten under Sean Dyche, doing so in April and May this year.

And their record in October is impressive - Everton have kept six clean sheets in their last seven such Premier League games (W4 D2 L1), including both games this season. Since 2022-23, the Toffees have averaged 0.75 points per game in August and September (P20 W3 D6 L11) compared to 1.55 points per game in October (W5 D2 L4).

Since Dyche's first Premier League games in charge of Everton, only Arsenal (33) have scored more goals via set pieces (excl. pens) than the Toffees (27).

However, Everton were unbeaten in their first 27 home league games against Fulham between 1949 and 2018 (W23 D4), winning each of the last 22 of those. Since then, they have lost their last three at home to the Cottagers.

In fact, Fulham are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games against the Toffees (W3 D2), keeping four clean sheets in the process. All three of those wins in that run have come at Goodison Park.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Everton – 40.9%

Draw – 26.7%

Fulham – 32.4%

Under pressure Wolves manager Gary O'Neil is confident his team will stay in the Premier League, despite picking up just one point from their opening eight matches.

Wolves were beaten 2-1 by second-placed Manchester City last weekend, having initially taken the lead, and were seconds away from a draw before a stoppage-time winner from John Stones.

It was the third time this season Wolves opened the scoring in a Premier League game but finished empty-handed.

"We're good enough to stay in the league, and we will stay in it," Gary O'Neil told BBC Sport.

"It isn't a lot to turn around."

Their defeat to Manchester City was Wolves' sixth on the bounce in all competitions, which left them bottom of the league and three points from safety, but O'Neil remained optimistic about their predicament. 

"I'm absolutely fine. I bumped into quite a few people around the town as well and everyone is unbelievably supportive," he said.

"They understand the difficulties, and they know the full situation with the fixtures and the transfer funds."

Brighton, meanwhile, climbed to fifth in the table last weekend with a 1-0 victory away to Newcastle United, with Danny Welbeck scoring the winner in that match, netting his fifth league goal of the season.

However, the striker was later stretchered off the pitch at St. James' Park, giving Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler another issue to think about in a growing injury list.

Another player struggling for fitness is midfielder James Milner, who has not featured since starting the opening three matches of the season.

"[Milner] had a small setback," Hurzeler told Sussex Live. "It's not that positive as it was before the international break.

"We have to be patient. It's not a thing that will be solved in one or two weeks. It will take several weeks. We can't give a clear schedule when he will be back, but before the break, we were more positive. I can be honest about that."

Milner and Welbeck are alongside Solly March, Matt O'Riley, Adam Webster and Joao Pedro in the Brighton treatment room, while Yankuba Minteh remains a doubt for this weekend.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton - Georginio Rutter

Georginio Rutter will be one of Brighton's most senior attackers who is not injured or doubtful for this match.

The 22-year-old has scored two goals and supplied an assist in his last three appearances in the Premier League.

Wolves - Jorgen Strand Larsen

Jorgan Strand Larsen is tied with Matheus Cunha at the top of Wolves' scoring charts, having opened the scoring at home to Manchester City last time out.

He has been involved in four goals in his last seven Premier League appearances (three goals, one assist), although he has ended on the losing side in all four games he has scored or assisted.

MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN

Brighton have already beaten Wolves 3-2 at home this season, albeit with a much-rotated side in the EFL Cup third round. 

Brighton are looking to win three successive Premier League games for the first time since September 2023, while the Seagulls are also looking to win two in a row without conceding in the competition for the first time since April-May 2023 – one of which was against Wolves.

And after winning just one of their first seven Premier League meetings with Wolves (D4 L2), Brighton have now won four of their last five against them (D1).

The pressure is on bottom-of-the-league Wolves coming into this fixture. They have picked up just one point in their last 11 Premier League games, losing more games (10) and conceding more goals (33) than any other side in that time.

Wolves have lost their last five Premier League matches, despite finding the net in each match. The last team to lose six top-flight games in a row while scoring in every game were Manchester City in November-December 1960.

And a trip to the Amex is not what O'Neil would have wanted, as Wolves have won just three of their 20 away league games against Brighton (D8 L9), with all three victories coming by a 1-0 scoreline (September 2004, January 2016 and December 2021).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton - 57.1%

Draw - 22.1%

Wolves - 20.8%