Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Brentford (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Adam Webster and Solly March could be part of the matchday squad on Friday.

• Hurzeler hopes Mats Wieffer's leg injury "is not too serious", while all the other players came through Saturday's game unscathed.

• Jan Paul van Hecke, who was accidentally kicked in the head by team-mate Carlos Baleba, "has some swelling but will be fine".

• Hurzeler said "we try to improve the players with every training session" as he referenced having different coaches for the defence and attack. On not winning in five games, he added: "We train a lot, we continue to train a lot. It is not a case of because we are not scoring a lot we train more."

• More from Hurzeler on recent form: "We see this [the game against Brentford] as an opportunity to get out of this circle of bad experiences. We need to try to play with more intensity and give the supporters a present."

• On Brentford: "They are really intense. They focus on things they can influence. For example, kick-off is a chance to score. A set-piece is a big chance to score. They really take care of small details."

• He said they "have to prepare for both" a back four or five as Thomas Frank switches his side up regularly.

• Defender Veltman came through the West Ham game "quite good," with Hurzeler adding: "You already see his impact on the team."

• On Joel Veltman and Traiq Lamptey, who are both out of contract at end of this season: "There are some things we have to discuss internally and they will stay internal."

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

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Manny: The stats show we had a fair share of the possession, but Brighton were the better team. Julen still doesn't know his best starting XI. Mavropanos is not a Premier League player. Kudus is always better on the right. Paqueta is a waste of time. Brighton looked fitter and were stronger everywhere. Bowen and Wan-Bissaka the only players to emerge with any credit. A lucky point, as it could have been a thrashing.

Rich: It's sad to be relieved at getting a point. It looked like we were playing for the draw towards the end, but there are enough creative players in the squad to mean that this is not acceptable.

John: I feel sorry for the players. The manager is constantly changing players and formation, which creates chaos within the team. After Bowen and Kudus came together to equalise, the mood of the team and fans lifted, so what does Lopetegui do? He changes to a flat back five, which creates a hole in midfield and a disconnect between defence and attack. Most of the substitutions were head-scratchers. Lopetegui needs to leave, as soon as Christmas is over.

Matt: Mediocrity is what Lopetegui has to offer. He is a decent guy but his selections and substitutions are holding us back. I would give Graham Potter a go while the season still has prospects. Summerville should be a starter.

Brighton fans

Linda: Disappointing. We should be scoring so many goals with the performances we are putting in, although the passing is not always good enough. A few shots from outside the box wouldn't go a miss, as we appear to be trying to walk the ball into the net from two yards in, through a bank of opponents.

Robert: It is now becoming increasingly frustrating that we have no killer instinct. We create many chances but fail to capitalise on them. Then, as soon as we score, we make a stupid mistake and seem to get punished every time. So many points dropped now from our lack of taking chances and failing to keep a clean sheet. Time to get the tin hats on, get out of this rut, build some confidence and fight for every point. They are capable of much better, let's hope they find the belief to improve. Come on, Albion.

Dan: Another game, another mediocre performance from Brighton. Hurzeler needs a plan B, otherwise his high-pressure style might drag us down because all the other sides know how we play.

Dave: Absolute rubbish again! We need to sort this out.

A Liverpool approach for Brighton's Joao Pedro is likely to have to wait until the summer as the Seagulls' demands for the forward will make a January move difficult. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures, including Manchester City's visit to Aston Villa and the London derby between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• West Ham 1-1 Brighton

• Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal

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Brighton midfielder Mats Wieffer has been looking back on the frustrating result at the London Stadium on BBC Radio Sussex: "You do it for the win and I think we deserved the win, not based on the first-half but more on the second-half. I think we have to work on playing consistently for 90 minutes, and not only for one half.

"In our recent games, we have played one half really well and one half not that good - so we have to be a bit more consistent in that I think.

"I think we had a couple of good chances, we had one that hit the post and one with [Yasin] Ayari. With a bit more luck, you make it 2-1 and then you win the game.

"Overall, we have to look at ourselves and improve.

"In this moment, it's not coming easy for us but we have to keep working, be consistent and work hard."

On getting on the scoresheet: "I was in the right place so I'm really happy with the goal, but unfortunately it's not the three points.

"It's really nice to get the start and I feel much better than I did before, with a bit more confidence as well, so that's a good thing."

Listen to the full post-match podcast on BBC Sounds

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport Journalist

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Brighton have no problems against the big boys, it seems.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham are all among the teams that Fabian Hurzeler has masterminded victories over this season.

However, presented with a comfortable run of games since a 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola's side and the Seagulls have largely stumbled.

Yes, there was a win over Bournemouth but that has been followed by draws against Leicester, Southampton and West Ham alongside defeats to Crystal Palace and Fulham.

Have Brighton reached the stage where they are struggling to rouse themselves for fixtures against some of the Premier League's lesser lights?

That they have failed to win in five of their six games this season against teams that currently occupy the bottom six (drawn four, lost one) must be something of a concern.

At least there were signs from Hurzeler's side at the London Stadium that they were back to something like the team which flew out of the blocks at the start of the season.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the draw: "I think it is two points lost in the end, because there were plenty of big chances.

"We weren't able to score and we weren't able to keep a clean sheet, then we got punished for that one mistake.

"In the end, it was our fault that we didn't leave the pitch as winners.

"There were positives things, but we also need to get a result to get out of this circle of bad experiences. It is the business to get results, if you want to achieve something.

"We have to get our higher standards back. We can defend better. We have to keep going and we have to trust the process."

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton are now unbeaten across their eight Premier League matches at the London Stadium (W2 D6). It is the stadium they have played at the most in the competition without losing and only Manchester City have played there more often without suffering a defeat in the competition.

Mats Wieffer was the 13th player to score a Premier League goal for Brighton this season, the most of any side this term excluding own goals.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

There are 10 Premier League teams in action on Saturday:

• Aston Villa v Manchester City (12:30)

• Brentford v Nottingham Forest

• Ipswich v Newcastle

• West Ham v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Crystal Palace v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 17, he takes on Reverend & the Makers singer Jon McClure.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

I genuinely believe these predictions have been harder than ever this season because so many teams are closely matched. It's either that or I am becoming really stupid, so take your pick.

This game is another example of one that is very difficult to call.

Other than Jarred Bowen's performances, I don't feel like West Ham have given me any reason to back them under Julen Lopetegui, while Brighton are on their worst run of the season and winless in four.

Of course the Hammers are missing Michail Antonio, and I hope he recovers soon. In his absence, Niclas Fullkrug might finally get his chance up front. In the summer, I picked him as being one to watch - but West Ham fans have barely seen him at all so far.

Brighton got walloped by Crystal Palace last weekend, and also showed their soft side in their previous game when they let a two-goal lead slip against Leicester, but I do feel they have the capacity to bounce back.

Again, I see some goals in this one and I am going with Brighton to sneak it. Kaoru Mitoma is in my Fantasy Premier League team and I reckon he will get the winner.

McClure's prediction: 1-3

Brighton have got another great manager in Fabian Hurzeler.

When I go on about what Sheffield Wednesday (who McClure supports) do wrong and you look at an example of how they should do it, then I look at the way Brighton go about their business.

They are just a well-run club, while our hot taps don't run in our toilets at Hillsborough, and haven't done for three years. That tells you everything you need to know about us. It's like, come on, we can do much better than this.

Read the full predictions and have your say

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Footballer reporter for The Sun Jack Rosser previews Brighton's match against West Ham on the most recent episode of BBC Radio Sussex's, Albion Unlimited: "It's a game that West Ham dread every season because they have a bad record against Brighton. It should be entertaining.

"I think Brighton are probably looking better going forward, but both teams are struggling at the back this season. Both teams can be cut open, so there's definitely a chance for a good game.

"West Ham, a lot of people arrive going in thinking, there's no way we can win, the midfield is rubbish, everything is going wrong, we all hate the manager and then Tomas Soucek scores and cheers everyone up. Soucek is another player, who similar to Michail Antonio shouldn't still be playing in the Premier League, but is a great survivor in that team and makes a great impact at times. West Ham are definitely there to be got at if Brighton are at it going forwards."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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For the first time since his arrival at Brighton in the summer, Fabian Hurzeler is under scrutiny.

The 3-1 home defeat by rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday was a blow to Brighton's pride, but the bigger consequence is that it extended the Seagulls' run without a win to four games.

It is now two wins in nine in all competitions for Hurzeler's men. After hanging around the top four, suddenly Brighton find themselves ninth. Manchester United in 13th are only two points behind.

Brighton go to West Ham on Saturday and Hurzeler needs to come up with a few answers. His side has conceded 18 goals in nine games since their most recent clean sheet at Newcastle on 19 October. Only Brentford and West Ham of the clubs below them, outside of the bottom four, have conceded more than their 25 goals so far this season - and only two of them came in their first four games. That is not the type of record that will result in winning form.

The returns of Joel Veltman and Adam Webster from injuries would help but, as most coaches would say, it is work on the training ground that should provide the answers.

Remarkably, Brighton have never lost in seven visits to London Stadium. Their previous trips have yielded five draws and two wins. This weekend would not be a good time to surrender that record.

West Ham are leading the race with Leicester City and Southampton to sign 20-year-old Republic of Ireland forward Evan Ferguson from Brighton. (Givemesport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Jan Paul Van Hecke says Brighton 'needs more consistency this season' after losing to Crystal Palace.

Albion were stunned by struggling Palace at Amex Stadium and have dropped points to a number of teams in the lower echelons of the Premier League this season.

"We need to look at ourselves," he told BBC Radio Sussex. "We need more consistency this season. We can be incredible, but also sometimes a bit below average, which isn't good enough.

"It's small margins in football. It's a really young group - we can beat everybody and then lose against everybody. It's tough because we are young, but we need to be more consistent in these games especially."

"Of course we miss players. [There are] injured players, really good players for us and important players. We miss them, but still if you look at our team today, we've shown already that we are good enough. It's so frustrating that it is not coming out."

"We need to have our head up, chest out and just play. We have nothing to lose and we need to have this [mindset]."

Listen to Albion Unlimited on BBC Sounds

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has said he "can learn a lot" from his side's recent dip in form, conceding that a poor run of results is a "new experience" in his managerial career.

The Seagulls were on the brink of the Premier League's top four after beating Bournemouth on 23 November.

But they have since failed to win any of their four league games and are ninth going into Saturday's fixture at West Ham.

"I can deal with this situation, I can handle this because I love to have the responsibility and I also know it's part of it to have this pressure and to be judged by the results," said the 31-year-old, who led his previous club St Pauli into the top flight in Germany before joining Brighton in the summer.

"It's a new experience, for sure. I have had a lot of great success so far in my career but I knew that this phase would come and now it's here I can learn a lot.

"I'm in the right club to experience this phase because it's a club that's well structured. We have great characters in the team. The team know what to do. The team work hard. They're not pointing the fingers at each other.

"They try to see the mistakes on their own and then they try to improve. In the end, the values of the club - this community, this togetherness - will help bring us out of this period."

Meanwhile, AFC Wimbledon say, external Brighton have paid a "substantial six-figure fee" to sign their under-15 goalkeeper Charlie Wilson-Papps.

Image source, Getty Images

If Brighton had beaten Crystal Palace on Sunday, their points at this stage would have been their highest in any Premier League season.

It has been a hugely successful start. However, when they have shown how good they can be and then suddenly, there is a downturn in form and they drop points against teams they would hope to beat, then it will affect them.

Conceding those goals against their rivals Palace at home when they are already on a slight skid - that is tough.

This is the way that seasons go though. You cannot be on top for the entirety, especially when you are not a team that traditionally does that.

This is going to be part of the process. They need to find the spark of a few weeks ago, score some more goals, but also be a little bit more defensively solid.

The run Brighton are on now is not too dissimilar to the run Aston Villa are on who are also around the same position. It is a hugely competitive section of the league, especially at this time of year.

The start they had was going to propel them to their best Premier League finish. The quality is still there, but they are missing a few players. When they return they will be stronger.

It is a reminder to take a step back sometimes and appreciate how good things actually are, but also how good things could be if they find some form again.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

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Brighton are unbeaten in all seven of their Premier League away games against West Ham, winning two and drawing five. Both of those facts are the most times they have faced an opponent on the road without ever losing.

Brighton are also the opponent West Ham have faced the most at home without ever winning in the competition.

Brighton have won five of their nine Premier League games against sides starting the day in the top half of the table this season, drawing two and losing two. By contrast, they have won just one of their seven games against teams in the bottom half of the table, drawing four and losing two.