Leeds United 2 West Ham United 1: YEP video verdict
The Seagulls host Leeds United at the Amex Stadium this weekend having lost to Arsenal on Wednesday.
Fabian Hurzeler rued his Brighton side’s wastefulness in Carabao Cup defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday with a demand set for their game against Leeds United this weekend.
Brighton were eliminated from the Carabao Cup after losing 2-0 at the Emirates, with Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka on target for Arsenal. The Seagulls had their fair share of opportunities on the night but were unable to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga, with Georginio Rutter and Stefanos Tzimas both guilty of missing chances.
Hurzeler’s side have now suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this season, conceding six goals in the process while also squandering chances to score. And it’s those issues in either box that are concerning the Brighton boss ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Leeds.
“It’s a strange feeling not being in the next round,” Hurzeler told Sussex World after his side’s defeat. “You don’t usually get as many chances in a game against Arsenal so you have to score the goals and if you do that you are in the next round.
“We had several shots but couldn’t score so that is frustrating. Their first goal changed the game – it’s not easier to score goals here. It is a missed opportunity. It’s a game of results and we have to deliver those so now we have to analyse why we didn’t do that in the last two games.”
Brighton now have just two full days to rest and prepare for the weekend, with Leeds enjoying a full week of focus, having last played on Friday against West Ham. The Seagulls have been hampered by a build-up of recent injuries and forward Charalampos Kostoulas was brought off at half-time on Wednesday.
Brighton injury update ahead of ‘nice’ Leeds United fixture
The 18-year-old, who Brighton signed from Olympiacos in a near-£30million deal at the start of summer, is yet to start a Premier League game and while there was no injury at Arsenal, Hurzeler said the teenager is yet to adapt to the physicality of English football. The 32-year-old manager also insisted he is looking forward to the quick turnaround and a ‘nice’ opportunity to turn things round on Saturday.
Read More
“Even in the second half we had some good possibilities to score so we now have to give the players the right support to make sure they do it better next time,” he added. “We have to take the positives and there were plenty of those.
“The nice thing is that we have our third game in a week in three days when we will try to do better against Leeds. That is our focus now.”
Saturday has been Leeds’ focus since last weekend and Daniel Farke will hold his pre-Brighton press conference later today. The German is expected to provide an update on Gabriel Gudmundsson who was forced off against West Ham, while Willy Gnonto has also been out for over a month after hernia surgery followed a calf issue.
Continue Reading