Sussex

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler celebrates an early career milestone against a Brentford side gaining momentum under Keith Andrews. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Saturday's match.

The Seagulls sit 11th in the table but have lost only one of their past seven league matches and shown signs of tightening up defensively, giving them the chance to record three consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the top flight since August 2022.

In their last game, a goalless draw at Crystal Palace, head coach Fabian Hurzeler named an unchanged starting line-up for the first time in the Premier League, saying he wanted "consistency".

However, the German indicated that rotation will remain part of his approach, explaining: "After the international break, the crunch time is starting and we need all of the players."

Hurzeler, 32, will take charge of his 50th Premier League match this weekend, becoming the youngest manager to reach the milestone.

He will be only the third boss to reach his half-century before turning 35, following Chris Coleman with Fulham in 2004 and the late Gianluca Vialli for Chelsea in 1999.

Thiago's goals key for improving Bees

Brentford have won four of their past six league games, including three of the previous four, taking them six points clear of the relegation zone.

However, that improvement has largely been built on home form, with 13 of their 16 points won at Gtech Community Stadium.

Their only points on the road so far came in last month's 2-0 win at West Ham.

The departures of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoanne Wissa - last season's joint top scorers - raised doubts about the Bees' attacking threat, but Igor Thiago's emergence is dispelling those concerns.

Injury ruined the Brazilian's first season in England following a £30m move from Club Brugge, but the 24-year-old is proving his worth in the current campaign.

His tally of eight Premier League goals is second only to Erling Haaland this term, while his shot-conversion rate of 32% is also among the best figures in the league.

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League will from next season move to a new system of Financial Fair Play (FFP) based on squad costs.

The clubs met in London on Friday to vote on three possible methods of replacing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) got 14 votes in favour and six against, which is the minimum number that is required to exact a rule change.

Overall squad costs from next season will have to be limited to 85% of a club's revenue, although teams competing in Europe will have to adhere to Uefa's maximum of 70%.

Squad costs comprise player and manager wages, transfer fees and agents' fees.

Rules around sustainability, which set out a club's financial spending plans over the medium and long term, were passed unanimously.

Read more about the news and what it means here

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League has announced the start and end dates for the 2026-27 season.

The first round of fixtures will take place across the weekend of 22 August 2026 - a week later than previous seasons.

The later start allows rest time for players - 89 clear days from the end of this season, and 33 days from the 2026 World Cup final.

The Premier League said the delay was a "priority" for player welfare in an "increasingly congested global football calendar".

The final matches of the season will be played on Sunday, 30 May 2027, with all fixtures kicking off simultaneously as usual.

The season will end a week before the 2027 Champions League final, which will be on Saturday, 5 June.

There will be 33 weekend and five midweek fixtures - the same as the current season.

For the festive period, the Premier League have said no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours.

It has not been confirmed if there will be any fixtures on 24 December 2026.

However, as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the Premier League has said there will be more matches scheduled than this season, when there is only one.

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brentford at Amex Stadium (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On the eve of his 50th Premier League game in charge, Hurzeler said he is "really proud" to be working at Brighton: "Being a head coach here is a privilege. I am really proud to work with great leaders, great personalities of players and in a really great culture."

• He praised his players for their attitude: "This is a great group that tries for togetherness and to get better every day, no matter the circumstances and adversities."

• He explained what he would like his team to be known for: "This club is special and has a great identity. On the one side, we are known for having great values and we also want to be known for success. It is what we live and work for and we have to keep pushing to achieve it."

• On what he learned from visiting the England rugby team: "They have a culture where everyone takes ownership and is responsible for success. That is something I really like. On top of that, they handle games differently. The head coach is always in the stands, overseeing like an analyst, not emotional on the sidelines - it is good to find answers to questions outside of the football bubble."

• On only losing three games at home in the Premier League with Brighton: "This is our castle. We want to make it really difficult for opponents to come. I am happy with how far we are but we have to keep pushing."

• Yasin Ayari and Brajan Gruda are both available to face Brentford while Jack Hinshelwood will be on the bench.

• Meanwhile, Solly March is two to three weeks away and Hurzeler said it is "so exciting" to have the winger back in the group.

• However, forward Kaoru Mitoma's return from his ankle injury remains unclear: "It is not easy to predict. Everything has healed but we just have to see how he can handle the pain."

• He praised Bees counterpart Keith Andrews for the work he has done in his first role as a head coach: "I have been really impressed. I know him a little bit and he is a great person. He did an unbelievable job as their set-piece coach and now he has made a great start in a different role."

• Therefore, Hurzeler accepted how difficult it will be against Brentford on Saturday: "They are very effective with a good understanding of how to win games. We have to be patient, not make easy mistakes and then improve the things we did not do so well when we faced them last season."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to Hurzeler on BBC Sounds

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

One of potentially the biggest moments in English football is coming on Friday, but precious few people understand how important it could be or even know about it.

The Premier League is considering 'anchoring' wages, which would cap the amount any club could spend on their squad at five times the smallest central Premier League broadcasting and prize money payout.

It is a complex argument. The league and some clubs are considering it because they want to ensure wage inflation does not continue to rise endangering their long-term financial security. From the other side - the players and their union, the PFA - this unnaturally limits the amount they can earn in what has until now been a free and open market.

Any changes to that position foisted upon the players without their prior consultation and agreement will not go down well. Remember, the players are the people that the paying public, the TV companies and the advertisers want to see, not a bunch of chairmen, executives and directors arguing over accounts, dividends and profit margins.

The game has increased the number of games played per season without consulting those who are physically doing it. No studies on how that will affect their health in the short and long term were considered, and so the PFA in England looks like it is finally ready to take a strong stand for its members.

Strike ballots are not unknown, I should know, as chairman of the PFA my name was on the bottom of every ballot paper when we last considered strike action over changes in working conditions. The modern owners may have forgotten, but we had 99% backing from our members.

Owners may think of footballers as ultra wealthy, mercenary, thickos who can easily be controlled - well they thought that last time and they lost.

It is time for serious and meaningful negotiation between equals and not a master and serf attitude from one side towards the other.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter