Brighton have their own injury woes. They’re missing a number of players, making it difficult for them to operate normally.
With a murderous schedule, it’s not uncommon for teams to suffer one injury after another. Brighton is no different. The Seagulls finished sixth in the Premier League (PL) last season and qualified for the UEFA Europa League (UEL). In their first UEL appearance, the Seagulls lost the likes of Alexis McMahon and Moises Caicedo, but bolstered their squad with several new signings.
Still, the schedule is not easy to digest. A string of injuries has been a major factor. According to the Evening Standard, Adam Webster, Pervis Estupinan, Solly March, James Milner, Danny Welbeck, Julio Enciso, Kaoru Mitoma, Ansu Pati, and Tharik Lampard are on the injury list.
These are all first-team players. The loss of multi-position players is even more devastating. The absence of key players such as Estupinan, Marchi and Mitoma is making Roberto De Jervi’s head spin. In total, around 11 players are out of action.
Brighton have a big game coming up. They host AEK Athens in the fifth match of their UEL group. After a 1-1 draw in their opening two games, the Seagulls have won two in a row to move up to second in the group. They are second in the group behind Marseille with a goal difference of one point. The Seagulls will need to win both of their remaining games to not only qualify for the knockout stages, but to finish first.
The result in Athens is crucial, but we have a lot of injuries. After Athens, they will travel to Chelsea. Brighton ended a six-match winless streak in the PL (four draws and two losses) with a narrow 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest. They need to get back to winning ways against Chelsea to climb back up the standings and rebound. The Blues have been shaky, with up-and-down form.
Ahead of the Athens game, De Jervi said, “Fatih and Lampard are injured and we won’t see them for a while. We have to focus on the players who can play tomorrow. “Louis Dunk and Mahmoud Dahoud will not play against Chelsea due to disciplinary reasons, but will be available for Athens,” said the Evening Standard.