Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has warned his players to expect a “different challenge” in a second home match in succession against Chelsea.
They host Chelsea again in the Premier League on Friday night, having knocked them out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win at the Amex Stadium on Saturday to set up a fifth round trip to Newcastle.
“For sure it will be a different challenge,” said Hurzeler. “We have to prepare for that, have the same mindset that we can prove again that we can beat every team in this league.
“The standards I always demand are intensity and doing the basic things right, because these are things we can control. You can’t always control scoring, or making an assist. You can control working harder than the opponent, outrunning the opponent. These are small, basic things that I demand from my team.”
Brighton faced a similar double-header against Liverpool earlier in the season, losing 3-2 at home in the Carabao Cup and 2-1 in the league at Anfield three days later.
“There are learnings from that,” Hurzeler said. “You have to be mentally and physically on the highest level against a team who are top five in the league. Then there are different approaches from both teams to the games, so it is important to have the skills to adapt.”
Adam Webster is on standby for his second league start since October in the centre of defence after replacing injured skipper Lewis Dunk for the second half of the Cup tie against Chelsea. Dunk received treatment to his chest in the first half. His availability depends on the results of a scan.
A first home league win since November would lift Brighton two places to eighth in the table, within six points of Chelsea in fourth.
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