Brighton’s boss Fabian Hurzer has been removed from talks to secure European football in front of the mid -week Premier League action.
The Seagulls are going to the table after an impressive victory over Southampton on Saturday and now sitting only three points against the sixth Bournemouth, facing Tuesday.
But the German refused to think about whether his side could return to Europe by impressive until the end of the season.
Speaking in front of the game, he said: “When you win games, there is always a good atmosphere. We are grateful it is like that, but it is hard work. We have to keep the momentum and understand why we have this dynamic.
“I never look too much on the table. You can only influence how you play. At the end of the season, you can see the table. But at the moment, it’s a game per game and trying to get the best performance from the players.
“The main thing in this club is developing new players and the team. We had a lot of new signs when we started. Now we are going to have internal goals for where we want to go. We will see what’s going on at the end of the season but it’s too early to talk about achieving Europe.
Our boss. 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/8jubgwsv9o
– Brighton & Hove Albion (@OficialBHAFC) 23 February 2025
Cherries in the city
Brighton has a huge opportunity to draw a level with their European opponents when Bournemouth visits Amex.
Seagulls have a worse target difference to their opponents, which means that a victory could not lift them to the sixth according to other results, but it would put them in the mixture.
But Andoni Iraola’s side was one of the surprises of the season in 2024-25 and their day can match any Premier League club.
Hurzeler knows this and admits that it is difficult to know what to expect from them.
He added: “It is difficult to create a race plan against Bournemouth, but it is difficult to do this for any of the league clubs. Bournemouth is very clear in the style they play.
“They are very intense. It will be a challenge for us to compete against them and we must be mentally and physically at the highest level to be ready for them.
“But we will be able to do it because we have proved it in the last few weeks. We need to keep the standards and improve to be ready for the challenge against Bournemouth.
“Dango Ouattara, Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert are very fast and athletic. Everyone is very good at transitions. But we must try to avoid these transitional moments.”
This twin. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/aos8kyqiec
– Brighton & Hove Albion (@OficialBHAFC) 22 February 2025
Pedro Power
If Brighton is going to win, they should be based on the quality of Joao Pedro, who eventually returns to the form.
The Brazilian has won the openingrier against Southampton and will probably get the nod to start again in such an important race.
Hurzeler said of his striker: “Joao is a player who always has the confidence. He knows he can decide the game with an action. He has not only that thought, but also the quality and skills to do it like has proven last week.
“It is more important to me how he behaves as a team player and proved last week that he was always there for his teammates. He showed me that he is truly dedicated to this club and wants to be the team’s player that everyone wants to be.
“I am very happy to have returned to the court and deserves what he gets because of his behavior, his attitude to education and of course his quality.”
