Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has provided “negative and positive feedback” on the fitness of his squad ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Seagulls played out a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at the Amex Stadium last weekend and had to cope without the services of star winger Kaoru Mitoma, who has been nursing a heel injury.
Solly March was also absent due to a recurring knee issue and Hurzeler has confirmed that the winger will remain sidelined for the rest of the season.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Hurzeler said: “Unfortunately Solly March will be out for the rest of the season. It’s not a new injury, it’s just to repair and clean something in his knee.
“It was a small surgery [to the one that was reconstructed]. Everyone is very convinced that he will be back in really good shape for pre-season.”
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Hurzeler provides Mitoma, Rutter, Milner update
Hurzeler has also revealed that Georginio Rutter is not available to return as he continues to recover from an ankle injury, but Mitoma is fit to feature against Wolves, while James Milner is making positive progress in his recovery from a long-term hamstring problem.
“Kaoru Mitoma is back on the pitch,” the Seagulls boss added. “He has trained with the team so he will be an option for tomorrow.
“Georginio [Rutter] is doing rehab, so he won’t be an option for tomorrow, but hopefully we will see him this season.
“James Milner is back on the pitch with the team, but with the rehab coaches. Overall it’s negative and positive feedback on our players.”
Meanwhile, Ferdi Kadioglu remains out with a long-term toe injury, while star forward Joao Pedro will serve the third and final game of a three-match suspension this weekend.
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Hurzeler preparing for “big challenge” against “impressive” Wolves
Brighton currently sit 10th in the Premier League table and remain in contention to qualify for Europe as they are only two points behind Bournemouth in eighth spot, but they are now preparing to face an “impressive” Wolves outfit who saw their six-game winning streak ended at Manchester City last week.
“They are impressive [with a] clear style of play”,” Hurzeler said about Vitor Pereira‘s Wolves. “Very good defensively, controlling the space well, very narrow connections to each other and they also use a clear formation. It’ll be a big challenge.”
“[Matheus] Cunha is a special player for them,” he added. “I think every game he plays he’s a danger for opponents. But it’s not only Cunha, it’s the whole team. How they play together, how they perform.
“They have good connections to each other. Then they have a good striker in [Jorgen] Strand Larsen and they have players who put in good crosses. So overall for me they are not only a good team, they’re also individual players.
“So we have to stick together, defend as a team and be brave in possession, and then we have a chance.”
Brighton will fancy their chances of success at Molineux on Saturday, as they are unbeaten in their last six Premier League meetings with Wolves (W4 D2), scoring 18 goals in the process.
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