Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Wedneday’s Carabao Cup tie against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium (kick-off 19:45 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
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James Milner has “suffered a small muscle issue” so is unavailable for the fourth-round tie. Kaoru Mitoma and Brajan Gruda “are getting closer” to a return but Wednesday’s game will come too soon for them to feature.
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He said they are “getting closer to having a bigger squad” again “which is a good thing” as Joel Veltman is also nearing a return.
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On opponents Arsenal: “The table tells the truth. They are doing very well out of possession and from set pieces and they are very disciplined. It will be a big challenge for us.”
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He said “it is not just Gabriel” that is a threat for the Gunners from set pieces as “they do it very well together and have really good patterns”. Hurzeler added: “On the other side, we are quite good in defending and we are quite confident that we are capable of defending against them.”
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He acknowledged how set pieces are “getting more important in the Premier League” and how they are also “trying to build a set-piece culture but that doesn’t come overnight and it needs time”.
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On balancing squad rotation for the cup: “We have to believe and we really trust the young players because they are here for a reason. It is not about age, it is about quality but for sure you need a good balance in the team.”
Follow Tuesday’s Carabao Cup news conferences
