Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game away against West Ham (15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Hurzeler confirmed Joel Veltman and Matt O'Riley are available for the trip to London while Adam Webster will train today. However, Danny Welbeck is "not in the best shape" and is being assessed week to week.

• Similarly, James Milner is still in a rehabilitation process and does not have a return date while Ferdi Kadioglu and Jack Hinshelwood both remain absent.

• On Brighton's response to Sunday's 3-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace: "The reaction was disappointment. I think it's normal, but there was also an honest reflection and analysis of what we have to improve. The basics went wrong but we have also studied things we did well in the second half."

• On the ambitions of the supporters during a difficult run: "I think it is the right thing that the supporters have these expectations because it shows we are ambitious and that is exactly what I want from the club – to create this winning culture and to be ambitious."

• Hurzeler said the current run of no wins in four "teaches me a lot": "If you try to act with courage and say that's our goal, then it is also part of it to fail at one time and to be criticised at one time. It is part of the business. It is not a nice business - it is a very honest business. You have to deal with it."

• He has been pleased with Julio Encisco's attitude and believes he has "changed his mindset": "The player who trains the best and deserves to play will get the chance. I was impressed with him in training and against Crystal Palace."

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

Manchester City are considering a move for 20-year-old Brighton and Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, who has fallen out of favour at Amex Stadium, after scoring just one goal this season. (GiveMeSport via Caught Offside), external

Fulham are also interested in Ferguson and want to sign him on a loan deal until the end of the season. (Independent), external

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

A new episode of Albion Unlimited has landed.

Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke discusses the Seagulls' lack of consistency after their 3-1 defeat by Crystal Palace.

And Sun journalist Jack Rosser joins the pod to chat Evan Ferguson and preview Saturday's game at West Ham.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

I need to deep clean my oven before Christmas. I am wishing I had spent Sunday afternoon doing so as it would have been more enjoyable than Brighton losing 3-1 to Crystal Palace.

A so-called 'easy' run of games for the Albion against Southampton, Fulham, Leicester and Palace has returned a grand total of two points.

Why is this? Read the opinions of Seagulls supporters online and you have almost as many theories as what happened to Lord Lucan.

Here is mine. Brighton's early season form put them in a false position, which raised expectations about how good this squad is.

Bart Verbruggen and Danny Welbeck are to blame. At one end of the pitch, Welbeck smashed in six goals. It made 2024-25 his most prolific season in over a decade before the campaign was a quarter of the way through.

Down the other end and Verbruggen was making save after save, helping Brighton be one of the best teams in the division for outperforming their expected goals against.

Welbeck and Verbruggen maintaining such high levels of performance over an entire 38 game season would have been extraordinary. And so it has proven.

Verbruggen is no longer making world-class stops of everything which comes his way. Welbeck is struggling for fitness. The Albion's form has tailed off as a result.

Being over-reliant on two players was never going to be a sustainable way to challenge for a European spot.

What Fabian Hurzeler needs to do is help more players become regular points earners. The likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Joao Pedro and Julio Enciso have shown they can do that in the past.

Something for the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history to think about this week while I am cleaning my oven.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

Brighton have had a £20.7m offer for Brazilian 18-year-old Vitor Reis rejected, with Palmeiras only willing to negotiate on the defender's future after the Club World Cup. (ESPN Brazil - in Portuguese), external

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

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Brighton and Crystal Palace.

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans:

Sarah: Same old Brighton. 64% possession, 17 vs 13 shots on target and we still managed to lose. Apart from 10 minutes at the start of the second half, we looked lacklustre and out of ideas. Poor play from all our 'best' players. Enciso was the only player who seemed to care. With the biggest spend on players ever, fans are right to expect better. Hurzeler needs to do something about this now.

Liam: No shortage of effort to try and turn it around in the second half, but we got a lesson in how to hold shape, and how to defend. Hurzeler with work to do, and a decision to make on whether this current defensive unit is good enough.

Archie: We had a really poor first half, looked disinterested, lost the ball too easily and played without any intensity on and off the ball. We didn't make it difficult for Palace at all. Best spell was in the second half, we were quite unlucky to not get another goal, but we were flat and unconvincing for the majority of the game. We really missed Veltman again. Lamptey's defensive game isn't good enough. Poor display but still back Hurzeler to turn it around.

Robert: Where do I start? Too many players lacking passion to win this game. They wanted it more than us and once they scored we never looked like getting back in the game. If you can't raise your game for a game against your biggest rivals I'm slightly concerned. Another terrible day in an awful December so far for the Albion. We can and must do better than this.

Palace fans:

Gavin: Good to see Palace execute a clear game plan and the first half was excellent for Palace in the way we fashioned the two goals. Second half we had to absorb a great deal of pressure with Henderson making some excellent saves. Palace definitely the better side and a deserved win.

Robert: Palace are just growing from strength to strength after a dismal start to the season. A 3-1 victory at the Amex was wishful thinking, but again thanks to some amazing performances by Will Hughes, Daniel Munoz and especially Dean Henderson - who again produced some world class saves - it was our day. To top it all was Sarr's second goal - heading the ball down to his own feet to produce a superb goal. Well done the Eagles!

Richard: Fantastic, great game plan by Glasner. Soaked up the pressure in both halves and took our chances well. The team seemed supremely composed throughout. Up the table we go.

Neil: An excellent result against one of our long-standing rivals, especially as it was away. Asserted themselves early in the game and maintained the pressure. Encouraging to see the boys building some momentum and stepping up to beat one of the top sides. A huge relief.

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Brighton midfielder Yasin Ayari has urged the team to "stick together" and take "positives" from their defeat to Crystal Palace.

Speaking after the game he said: "We're really disappointed - we always want to win especially at home.

"It wasn't our day - they deserved it more than us, we need to get back to where we were at the start of the season where we had so much confidence in front of goal and in our general play.

"If we stick together as a group we come back stronger. We can find many positive things even though we lost. We came out in the second half and dominated the game, if we started the game like this we would have won the game comfortably.

"The final touch and shot is not there for us at the moment like it was before - but if we stick together it will come."

Listen to his full interview on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's four Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool 2-2 Fulham

• Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa

• Brighton 1-3 Crystal Palace

• Man City 1-2 Man Utd

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Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler speaking to BBC Sport after today's defeat: "We conceded the goals too easy. We didn't score in the phases when we had plenty of chances and that is why it is a bad experience. It is very disappointing but we should see this as a lesson for us.

"There is a lot of theory now about what would have happened if we scored but we didn't find it and we need to find a solution.

"I always see the challenge to find the solutions. We are in a process, development is not always linear. You have to stay clam and stay focused."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brighton’s performance

What did you make of Crystal Palace’s display?

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

Read the report and follow reaction

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

For week 16 he takes on darts star Stephen Bunting, who is a Liverpool fan.

Bunting, who is ranked eighth in the Professional Darts Championship (PDC) order of merit, takes on Alan Soutar or Kai Gotthardt in the second round of the PDC World Championship, which starts at London's Alexandra Palace on Sunday.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

No top-flight team has drawn more home games (four) than Brighton this season, and Crystal Palace have drawn the most in total (seven) of any Premier League side - including four of their past six games.

As regular readers will know, I am happy to be led by statistics sometimes, and they make this the easiest prediction I have ever made.

Bunting's prediction: 2-2

There will definitely be goals in this one.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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As Brighton prepare to host Crystal Palace in the Premier League this weekend, Fabian Hurzeler has been revealing all about his relationship with opposition manager and "great coach" Oliver Glasner.

The two bosses got to know each other "a little bit" during their managerial spells in Germany, which happened to land at the same time, as Hurzeler took charge of St Pauli and Glasner led Eintracht Frankfurt.

"When I was at St Pauli, we played a very similar system. We both played with five at the back," said Hurzeler.

"He had great success with his former club, Frankfurt, winning a trophy with this club is a big thing. His style of play was outstanding. He was always very compact and very good in transition.

"When he arrived at Crystal Palace, he immediately had an impact on the club and on the Premier League. That shows his quality."

Hurzeler added that he has been in contact with Glasner since taking charge of the Seagulls in the summer: "We were in touch. We had some calls because we know each other a little bit.

"He is very helpful and open-minded. He is a great coach.

"He has achieved a lot of things and he is continuing to make a big career. He is a role model, I think, in how he acts and how humble and grounded he is.

"He has the attitude to become a great manager."

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler expects new signing Diego Gomez to join his first team squad immediately when the Paraguay international joins the Seagulls from Inter Miami on 1 January.

"What he has is something special," Hurzeler said about his new recruit. "He has the right attitude towards football. He loves to play it. You can feel his passion every time you talk with him. You can see his passion in his eyes.

"When you see him playing for Paraguay and for Inter Miami, you see that he is ready to sprint and ready to make the last break to give everything for his club.

"That is something we need here. It is about having players with passion for football, the right attitude, and a willingness to work on themselves to improve and use every day to get better - and that is something he has inside of him.

"That is something special for such a young player."

On how long it will take the 21-year-old to adjust to the English top flight, after previously playing in Major League Soccer, Hurzeler added: "We have some examples, from the summer, that show how challenging it is to come from a different league to the Premier League.

"It takes time - sometimes it goes faster and sometimes it goes a little bit slower.

"It will be a big challenge for him, but it is up to us - as a club and as a team - to fully integrate him as soon as possible."

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at home to Crystal Palace (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Joel Veltman is "50:50" to play with the defender needing to be reassessed "in the next few days". Hurzeler also ruled Jack Hinshelwood as "40:60" to play with Ferdi Kadioglu at "20:80" and James Milner at "10:90". "Those are percentages," Hurzeler clarified.

• Meanwhile, Solly March is "closer and closer" to returning from injury. He could be a "possible option" for this weekend, but Hurzeler said there is a need to be "really patient" with players returning from injury. He added: "[March] is doing well and progressing really well. He is pushing to be an option for the squad, but it's about talking with the medical staff to work out when is the right time to integrate him into a matchday."

• He has been "reflecting" on his management of the side, particularly after recent dropped points: "It is always the first thing, to reflect on myself, my decisions and my behaviour. You cannot be critical of other people if you are not the most self-critical person in the building. It always starts with me."

• It has been "nice" to have a full week of preparation. The squad has been working on their "game management" and how to "fulfil that winning culture". He added: "It is a lot of work, but work pays off."

• He is aware of the importance of the game with Palace, saying there is no need to "artificially emphasise" the rivalry: "Luckily, I saw the game live at Palace last season and I experienced how the rivalry is and the mood between the two clubs. It is about the three points but, on top of that, it is about the meaning of the game. We need to give everything to win this derby."

• On Palace, who are unbeaten in their last four games: "They are a compact team with individual quality. They are very good at defending and very good in transition. We are going to have to be aware of not giving the ball away. Where they are at the moment doesn't represent their real quality or ability."

• He also revealed Oliver Glasner has been a "role model" for him: "When I was at St. Pauli, we played a similar system with five at the back. He had great success with his former club, Frankfurt. Winning a trophy with this club is a big thing. His style of play is outstanding - always very compact and good in transition. When he arrived at Palace, he immediately had an impact."

• He added that they have been in contact since he took charge of the Seagulls: "He is very helpful and open-minded. He is a great coach for me. He has achieved a lot and is continuing to make a big career. He is a role model. How humble and grounded he is - he has the attitude to become a great manager."

• Jan Paul van Hecke, who could make his 50th Premier League appearance this weekend, has been one of the "most underestimated" in the league: "He is not only a player who really wants to develop himself every day, he also has this winning mentality inside him. He is ready to grow and be a leader."

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

Full commentary of Brighton v Crystal Palace from 14:00 on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live

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Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma has progressed the ball furthest upfield of any non-defender in the Premier League this season (1,899 metres).

He has made 79 progressive carries of 10 metres or more, which is the second-most of any player in the league behind Kyle Walker-Peters of Southampton (80).

Image source, Getty Images

On this week's Albion Unlimited podcast former Brighton player Warren Aspinall praised the performance of summer arrival Mats Wieffer in Sunday's draw at Leicester City.

"He is an excellent player. After that 45 minutes [against Leicester] I want him in there week in and week out," said Aspinall.

The Dutch international won more duels than any other Brighton player (seven) in his 45 minute appearance and provided the assist for Yankuba Minteh to score the side's second goal of the game.

Aspinall added: "You don't see many midfielders nowadays that can do box to box, but he is one of them.

"He can sit in front of the back four and cover across if the centre backs go forward, he can do all of that, but I want to see him getting into the box more."

Wieffer has played just 409 minutes so far in the Premier League this season, having seen his pre-season hampered by an injury picked up at the European Championships in the summer.

However the Dutchman's display at King Power Stadium demonstrated that he is starting to find his feet in the Premier League.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Brighton's 23-year-old Brazil forward Joao Pedro is a priority signing for Liverpool next season. (Universo Online in Portuguese – subscription required), external

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

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On the latest episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast, former Brighton player Warren Aspinall discussed the side's concerning trend of dropping points from winning positions in the Premier League this season.

Fabian Hurzeler's side held a two-goal lead heading into the final 10 minutes at Leicester on Sunday, but were made to settle for a point after the home side scored two late goals.

"If you want to make it into Europe, top teams don't drop points like this. It is about game management, isn't it?" said Aspinall.

"14 points [dropped] is the most in the Premier League. We are top of that league and we don't want to be. It is not like we were winning 1-0 or 2 - we are two clear goals in front with four minutes to go against Leicester. Wolves was different because it was 90 minutes played, but it is about game management."

Brighton have taken the lead in 12 league games so far this season, but have only won six of them, drawing four and losing two.

Up next for Hurzeler's side is the visit of rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

BBC Sport, with the help of data from website Premier Injuries, external, has taken a look at which side has suffered most from injuries this season.

Fabian Hurzeler has had a tough start in English football from an injury perspective - although his side sitting seventh in the Premier League table suggests he is more than capable of coping with it.

West Ham fans may be even more frustrated about their season when they learn that they have had the least amount of injury setbacks in the top flight.

Comparing the injury situation now with the same stage last season, the overall numbers are actually down, according to Ben Dinnery of Premier Injuries Ltd.

"Year on year, there has been about a 20% reduction in the number of injury incidents and about a 30% reduction in the 'burden' on clubs - the amount of days missed by injured players," he said.

His data is calculated from the opening day of the season, so players who were already injured going into the campaign - such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries to Brentford's Rico Henry, Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings and Brighton's Solly March - do not count.

"Perhaps the narrative [of an increase in injuries] is driven by some high-profile managers and the prominence of major injuries to higher-status players, such as Manchester City's Rodri," Dinnery added.

"The injury narrative is not being pushed by Kieran McKenna at Ipswich or Brighton's Fabian Hurzeler.

"They are not using their sidelined players as excuses, even though Ipswich have lost some huge players as they try to adapt to the intensity and rigours of Premier League football.

"Brighton didn't have a great record last year, but had European football to contend with. The headline numbers are one thing, but football is a contact sport. Perhaps it is testament to their recruitment of a squad with strength and depth that they are still doing well despite the number of injuries."