FK Jablonec v Brighton: Conference League preview, predicted line-ups & prediction

FK Jablonec v Brighton is a matchday two fixture in the Conference League league stage, played at Stadion Strelnice. Brighton sit first in the standings snapshot on three points and a goal difference of +4 after a 4-0 home win over Kauno Žalgiris. Jablonec are 23rd with no points after a 3-2 defeat at SC Freiburg. The standings table is only partly supplied, so positions beyond those two rows are not assessed here. The top eight advance directly to the last 16, which puts a premium on goal difference this early. Brighton are priced at 1/4 by bet365 to win, with the hosts at 19/2.

Jablonec reached the league stage through qualifying. The form data shows four wins and three defeats in their last seven matches, with 11 goals scored and 8 conceded. They beat NK Varazdin 2-0 at home but lost the away leg 3-2, then beat Rīgas FS 2-0 and 2-1. Rangers followed, with a 1-0 loss away and a 1-0 home win. Their league-stage opener was the 3-2 loss at Freiburg, where they scored twice away from home. All three of their clean sheets came at home, while they have conceded 8 goals in four away matches (2.0 per game).

Brighton's three matches in the data are a 0-0 draw away at Tromso, a 4-0 home win over Tromso, and the 4-0 win over Kauno Žalgiris. That is eight goals scored and none conceded, with an average of 27 shots and 7.7 on target per game. They have averaged 74.7% possession and 10.3 corners per match. Their average expected goals figure is 4.02 for and 0.04 against, according to the recent-form aggregate. However, they failed to score in the one away match in that sample, which is also the only one that was not a win.

Brighton's league fixtures are not part of the supplied data, so the scale of any rotation is unclear. A side with 27 shots per game and 74.7% possession in this competition could change several starters and still be the stronger team on paper. Brighton's squad list is deep in attacking midfield and wide areas, which gives options. Jablonec have used a 4-2-3-1 in four of their seven matches this season, and the form data suggests that remains their default. They have used a back three in three of the other matches. They have little reason to rest players after a defeat in the opening round, so a strong home XI is the likelier outcome.

Jablonec are expected to start in a 4-2-3-1, their most frequent shape in the supplied data. A possible XI is Hanuš; Sláma, Souček, Pavlović, Nykrín; Polidar, Suchan; Jawo, Zorvan, Tchanturishvili; Chramosta. This is a prediction built from the squad list, not a confirmed selection.

Brighton have used a 4-3-3 in two of their three matches. A possible XI is Verbruggen; Hadjam, Dunk, Vušković, Kadıoğlu; Wieffer, Gómez, Hinshelwood; Mitoma, Rutter, Minteh. Rotation is a risk for both sides.

Kick-off is at 17:45 BST on Thursday 22 October 2026 at Stadion Strelnice. This is a league-stage match, not a two-legged tie, so there is no second leg to come. The competition is shown on TNT Sports where selected, and no specific channel has been confirmed for this fixture. The page will be updated closer to kick-off. Conference League league-stage matches have no extra time or penalties, so a draw after 90 minutes stands as a draw.