Olivier Boscagli will hope to keep his place against Chelseaplaceholder image
Olivier Boscagli will hope to keep his place against Chelsea | Getty Images
Brighton vs Chelsea from the Amex Stadium in the Premier League - Tuesday, 8pm
Fabian Hurzeler has a big defensive decision to make as Brighton welcome Chelsea to the Amex Stadium.
French defender Olivier Boscagli has impressed in the last two matches at Burnley and Tottenham as Lewis Dunk served a two-match suspension for reaching 10 bookings.
Dunk, 34, is available for tomorrow's home clash against Chelsea as Brighton look to continue their late push for Europe.
But should Dunk return straight back to the starting XI and if so, would that be harsh on Boscagli?
"We know how important our skipper is for us," said Hurzeler in his pre-Chelsea press conference.
"He was out for a few weeks. He has recovered well regarding his knee.
"We all know that he has had a really good season so far. He's a big personality. He gives me a lot.
"He helps me a lot. He supports me a lot. So therefore he's fully fit. Of course we want to have him on the pitch.
"Regarding Ollie, he played two really good games. He showed his quality, he immediately replaced Lewis in a very impressive way. It's really great for me to have these kind of options."
Amex atmosphere can push Brighton to Europe
Chelsea are sixth in the Premier League, just one point ahead of ninth placed Brighton and victory for Hurzeler’s men would boost their late push for Europe.
It’s been a month since Albion’s last match at home - a 2-1 win against Liverpool - and Hurzeler is looking forward to getting back on home turf.
It's been over a month since you were last at the Amex, what are you expecting?
“Honestly, I really missed it,” said the German head coach. I was thinking about this because, the last two home games against Arsenal and Liverpool there was just an unbelievable atmosphere, an incredible environment.
“Nne where we felt really pushed, where we felt very energized by our supporters, but also in our environment where I, I think that no one wants to enter it because it's not only that's difficult to play against us.
“On top of that, it will be difficult to play against our fans. This is something that’s been really building through the season, this connection.
“Hopefully we can create another creative atmosphere tomorrow because if we have this, this loud and supportive energy, we perform better.
“That's the truth. I say to the supporters, thanks for the support so far and hopefully we can have another great night tomorrow at the Amex.”
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