Brighton & Hove Albion return to Europa League action on Thursday night, hosting Ajax in their third Group B meeting at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton will be visited Ajax in a Europa League match on Thursday night at the Amex Stadium, and Billy Gilmour expects a difficult encounter.
Albion are currently bottom of Group B after two rounds of play, having lost their first game at home to AEK Athens before drawing 2-2 with Marseille in France earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Dutch heavyweights Ajax have began their European campaign with consecutive draws, but it is their league form this season that has garnered the most attention.
With just one win in seven games, the club is currently second-bottom in the Eredivisie. Following Sunday’s 4-3 defeat at the hands of FC Utrecht, manager Maurice Steijn was relieved of his duties, having only taken over in June, with Hedwiges Maduro acting as caretaker until a replacement can be found.
Despite this, Gilmour expects a difficult challenge on Thursday night, with the Seagulls needing a solid victory in front of their home fans to move them up the table.
“It will be a difficult game,” Gilmour said this week on the official Brighton website. “Ajax is another top team we will face, and we will be prepared.”
“We want to win the competition.” We’re taking on elite teams and big names on a huge platform. This is the Europa League, and we want to be there. We need to achieve the best we can for ourselves first, and then for the supporters who travel from all around to support us and get behind us at the Amex.”
Gilmour has started the season brightly at Brighton, making 11 appearances across all competitions – only six fewer than he did in the entire 2022/23 season.
He’s also been impressive for Scotland, which he recently helped qualify for the European Championship in Germany next summer. The 22-year-old also scored his first international goal a week ago in a 4-1 loss to France in Lille, with the midfielder delighted to get off to a good start for the Tartan Army.
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