Brighton & Hove Albion vs Kauno Zalgiris Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

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Brighton & Hove Albion

vs

Kauno Zalgiris

KickoffThursday 15 October 2026, 8:00pm

VenueAmerican Express Stadium

CompetitionUEFA Conference League

Brighton are flying right now, and this Conference League opener could not have come at a better time for Fabian Hurzeler’s side. Four wins on the spin across all competitions, third in the Premier League, and now a chance to get European business started at the Amex. The Seagulls will be aiming to make a real statement here, and facing Lithuanian opposition in the first group stage game is the kind of fixture where a clinical Brighton side can really set the tone for what could be a strong run in this competition.

For Kauno Zalgiris, just being here is genuinely historic. This is the first time the Lithuanian club have made it past the qualification rounds in any European competition, and while that is a wonderful achievement for the club and their supporters, they now have to step into a ground where a Premier League side in form will be waiting for them.

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Kauno Zalgiris Match Details

This is the opening fixture of the 2026/27 UEFA Conference League league stage, with Brighton hosting at the Amex Stadium. The Seagulls qualified by finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, and they secured their place in this stage of the competition with a comfortable 4-0 aggregate win over Tromso in the playoffs. Brighton will also face Jablonec, Getafe, Craiova, Monaco and Panathinaikos during the league stage, while Kauno have been drawn alongside Brann, Lugano, Riga, Egnatia and Freiburg.

Team News

Brighton have a few bodies missing, and Hurzeler will need to shuffle his options a little. There is no injury crisis, but losing the quality they have lost is still significant. Here is where things stand heading into this one:

• Evan Ferguson is out through injury
• Stefanos Tzimas is unavailable
• Kaoru Mitoma is sidelined
• Yakuba Minteh is injured
• Mats Wieffer is out
• Femi Azeez is unavailable
• Jack Hinselwood is a doubt and needs assessing
• Zadok Yohanna also requires a fitness check

Kauno come into this with a clean bill of health. Zeljko Sopic looks set to have a full squad at his disposal, which gives him the luxury of picking his best side without having to make compromises.

Predicted Lineups

Brighton look set to bring Lewis Dunk back into the defensive line after he was rested for the weekend win over Sunderland, which gives the back four an experienced head to organise things. Matt O’Riley could also come into midfield, with Hurzeler likely to rotate slightly given the run of fixtures ahead. The forward line will have to be reconfigured without Mitoma and Minteh, so Gomez and Kostoulas are expected to take up wide positions behind De Cuyper in a fluid front three.

Brighton expected XI: Verbruggen; Kadioglu, Vuskovic, Dunk, Boscagli; O’Riley, Ayari, Gross; Gomez, Kostoulas, De Cuyper

Kauno will look to Gabriel Debeljuh to carry the attacking threat up front. He has chipped in with a goal in four outings this season, and alongside Fabien Ourega, he offers Sopic at least some creativity going forward. The shape looks conservative and organised, as you would expect from a side who knows they are the underdog here.

Kauno expected XI: Mikelionis; Moutachy, Lekiatas, Hernandez, Iyobosa; Karashima; Ourega, Fiolic, Kalik, Ribeiro; Debeljuh

Recent Form

Brighton are in the kind of form that makes their upcoming opponents nervous. Four consecutive wins across all competitions, three of those in the Premier League, and sitting third in the table on 13 points. This is not a soft run of results against moderate opposition either. Hurzeler has this team playing with real confidence and purpose, pressing aggressively, creating chances and finishing them. The 2-0 win over Sunderland at the weekend was controlled and professional, the sort of performance you see from a side that knows exactly what it wants to do.

It is worth remembering that Brighton reached the last 16 of the Europa League back in 2023/24 before going out to Roma, so European football is not new to this group. Several players in this squad know what it takes to navigate these fixtures, and Hurzeler will want them to approach this one with the same intensity they have shown domestically.

Kauno arrive at the Amex in decent enough nick domestically. They beat Minija 3-0 in the Lithuanian Cup recently, and their last league outing ended in a win too. But the jump from Lithuanian football, even via a European campaign that included a 7-1 aggregate pasting against Dinamo Zagreb and a 3-1 defeat to Besiktas in the Europa League playoffs, is enormous. Those results do not inspire confidence about how they will cope against a Premier League side in full flow.

Head-to-Head Record

These two clubs have never met before. There is simply no head to head history to draw on, which is part of what makes Conference League group stages so interesting. Brighton have never played Lithuanian opposition in European competition, and Kauno have obviously never faced a Premier League club at this stage of any tournament. Every record between these sides starts on Thursday.

What we can say is that Brighton’s home European record at the Amex has been solid when they have had the chance to play there in continental competition. They tend to be difficult to break down and clinical in front of goal when the pressure is off and the crowd is behind them.

Key Stats

• Brighton have won four consecutive matches across all competitions and are third in the Premier League on 13 points
• Kauno conceded seven goals across two legs against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League qualifying rounds this season
• Gabriel Debeljuh has scored one goal in four appearances for Kauno this campaign, making him their primary attacking threat

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Kauno Zalgiris Betting Tips

This is about as straightforward a setup as you will find in European football. Brighton are in form, playing on home turf, and facing opposition who have already been heavily beaten by two other European sides this season. The value in this fixture is firmly in the Brighton corner, and the question is more about the manner of the win than whether they will get the result.

Both Teams To Score (BTTS) Prediction

No is the call here. Kauno struggled badly to score in their European outings earlier this season, and Brighton’s backline, with Dunk back in to organise, looks well set to keep a clean sheet. A shutout for the Seagulls feels genuinely likely in this one.

Correct Score Prediction

Brighton 3-0 Kauno. The Seagulls have goals in them, and with Kauno unlikely to threaten much at the other end, a comfortable home win with the clean sheet attached is the most logical outcome. Three goals feels about right given the gap in quality between these two sides.

Corners Prediction

Over 10 corners looks appealing here. Brighton love to get wide, put crosses in and maintain sustained pressure, and when teams sit deep against them as Kauno almost certainly will, the corner count tends to stack up. Expect plenty of balls whipped in from wide areas throughout the night.

First Goalscorer Prediction

Kostoulas is an interesting shout here. With Mitoma and Minteh absent, he gets a prominent role in Brighton’s attacking setup, and playing against a side who are likely to defend deep, there will be space to exploit. He has the movement and the instinct to get on the end of something early.

Bet Builder Tip

A dominant Brighton win with the clean sheet intact fits perfectly with the corner count going high as Kauno sit deep and the Seagulls keep coming at them from wide areas.

Final Match Prediction

Brighton should win this comfortably. The form is there, the home advantage is there, and the opposition simply do not have the firepower or the defensive solidity to cause a real upset here. Kauno’s European campaign this season has already shown they struggle at this level, and stepping up to face a Premier League side who are genuinely hitting their stride is a tough ask.

Hurzeler will want a clinical performance and a good start to the group stage, and there is every reason to think he gets it. Brighton 3-0 Kauno Zalgiris is the call, with the Seagulls potentially even adding to that tally if the game opens up in the second half.

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