Brighton & Hove Albion

Huzaifah Khan
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Conference League game against Tromso at Amex Stadium (kick-off 19:30 BST).

The first leg of their play-off tie last week ended goalless.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Hurzeler said there are no new issues to report but Georginio Rutter has to take it "day by day" with his small injury, while Ferdi Kadioglu will "definitely" be in the squad for Thursday's game.

• On new signing Jaouen Hadjam, Hurzeler said: "I think he proved it already in the past, also in the World Cup, he's capable of playing at the highest level. He played in a different league with different demands, so now it's important to see how fast he can adapt to the Premier League and the intensity of our game, how we want to play football."

• On his side's focus with a big game against Chelsea on Sunday: "First of all, we should focus on the game tomorrow. That's the main thing. It's a do-or-die game, we know we'll face a tough opponent in Tromso."

• He called links between Liverpool and Yankuba Minteh "rumours" and added: "It's important for a player to understand what you have here playing for a club like Brighton. You have a club that gives you a chance. You have a club and team-mates that are trying to push you. You have a club that's there for you also in tough moments, like Carlos Baleba had so many tough moments when he was here. Minteh also had tough moments but we are always there for them."

• Hurzeler also issued a rallying cry to Brighton fans, saying: "I had a fan event yesterday and one of my messages towards everyone was that we want to build a fortress at home. We want to be a team that are so difficult to play against because of how we play football, but also because we have a special connection towards the fans and a special atmosphere."

• He added: "Hopefully everyone who sees this press [conference] comes tomorrow to the game, creates a special atmosphere, creates a night we never forget, and hopefully we can make things possible tomorrow for them and for our belief and confidence."

• Finally, on whether his side have practised penalties in case it goes the distance, the German boss said it's a "constant thing" his side train, like corners and free-kicks.

Got a question about Brighton? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

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Brighton face Norwegian side Tromso in the second leg of their Conference League play-off tie on Thursday following a goalless draw 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle last week.

Seagull boss Fabian Hurzeler has a big decision to make on whether he should start a strong team just three days before his side play away at Chelsea. His side are huge favourites to make it through to the League Phase of the competition but won't want to be on the end of an embarrassing upset in their search for a first major trophy in the club's history.

Both former Seagulls players Warren Aspinall and Guy Butters believe Hurzeler should go strong against their Norwegian counterparts.

Speaking on the Albion Unlimited podcast, Aspinall said: "Get the job done and put the strongest side out. See if we can get a few goals in the first half then take players off. Man for man we're better than them. As a team, we're better than them but never underestimate them because they should've won that game at home.

"It'll be completely different at the Amex with our crowd. I assume they will bring a good following but we should be beating Tromso. It's a massive game for the football club. Six extra games in Europe, financially as well, so I think he has to go very strong."

Butters agreed with Aspinall's thoughts, saying: "I think it's a good chance to get people game time again. Alright, we won at the weekend, but I still think the minutes you play with each other, when you're a player, you want to play every game, every minute.

"He will have one eye on Sunday as well but I'd go for it in this game."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Find more Brighton content here

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Brighton have signed a "modern" left-back blessed with "pace" in Jaouen Hadjam, says sporting director Mike Cave.

The Seagulls secured Hadjam in a deal with Swiss Super League champions Young Boys.

The 23-year-old has signed a five-year deal and brings experience early in his career having made 98 appearances across the Swiss League and Europa League, as well as appearances for Algeria during the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.

Cave said: "We believe Jaouen will be a great addition to the group, adding to our already strong options in defence.

"He is a modern left-back known for his pace, attacking output and technical abilities which fits our style of play well. He has proven himself to be a versatile player in Switzerland and we are looking forward to working with him."

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist

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The third-round draw for the 2026-27 Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday, 26 August following the conclusion of Preston North End vs Everton.

Nine Premier League clubs taking part in European football join the 23 first-round winners from across the English Football League.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace will enter the competition at this stage, as the top eight Premier League clubs from the 2025-26 season plus Crystal Palace as Conference League winners.

It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports following the conclusion of the third round tie between Preston North End and Everton, kicking off at 20:00 BST.

Unlike the opening two rounds of the competition, the third round draw is not regionalised.

However, before the match at Deepdale there will be a pre-draw determining which of the Champions League and Europa League clubs will play at home or away in round three.

In order to avoid potential scheduling issues, the eight Champions League and Europa League clubs cannot be drawn against each other in round three.

When the draw takes place, the first eight fixtures decided are the ones involving clubs in the Champions League and Europa League. The remainder of the draw will be an open draw as usual.

Due to clashes with opening weeks of the Champions League and Europa League seasons, the third round will be played across two different weeks. They are the weeks commencing Monday, 7 and Monday, 14 September, 2026.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

It is anticipated Yankuba Minteh will leave for Liverpool, which might create space at Brighton for another forward and Carlos Baleba's impending exit for Manchester United may mean the Seagulls move for midfield reinforcements.

It is possible there may be other exits but, as usual, Brighton will stick to their data-driven recruitment plan.

"We must continue to evolve, invest and innovate while remaining true to the principles that have brought us this far," was chairman Tony Bloom's message to fans before the 4-0 win over Aston Villa.

Maz Mirzadeh, Brighton fan

With Baleba's anticipated departure and it looking likely Minteh might leave as well, we need to bring in a defensive midfielder who provides a physical presence in our midfield and a winger proven at the top level.

We have a lot of games this season with European football, so we need to have the squad depth to compete on all fronts if we want to secure a top-10 finish again.

What business do you think still needs to get done before 23:00 BST on 1 September?

Get in touch with your views here

Lewis Dunk assesses the start to the season, the panel study the latest transfer reports and there's a look ahead to the games against Tromso and Chelsea.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Brighton content on BBC Sounds

Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The season has started with a bang. With so many new coaches and major squad upheavals, I expected the unexpected and wasn't disappointed.

Hull City seeing off Manchester United raised the most eyebrows. Remember, United ended last season impressively and their hosts just about squeezed up from the Championship, via the play-offs. These are early days and Michael Carrick's side will improve, so need to panic yet. As for Hull, their performance hinted at something else.

Last season Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth didn't have the slightest hint of an inferiority complex when facing the super-clubs. The Tigers have started in the same style and I suspect others have now seen the light and will follow their lead.

Many are now embracing the idea of chaos, following the control-based dogma that held sway for so long. Some suggest this is "Kloppism" eclipsing the Guardiola doctrine. This is a bit simplistic but there is change in the air and it is being helped by the recent rule changes.

The game is speeding up, encouraging a quicker, more open style that lends itself to this organised chaos. It's early days, but already a pattern appears set for the season; reputations might count for little when up against hungry, youthful, fearless opponents.

Spurs and Aston Villa are seen as "big" clubs but size doesn't matter when confronted by a hunger, desire to work and the ensuing mayhem.

Just look at the way Brentford and Brighton closed both of them down at the weekend; Manchester City were within six minutes of losing to Bournemouth; Liverpool were seconds away from losing to Newcastle, a team supposedly gutted of quality and experience after those brutal summer sales.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Brighton and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Sam: I was concerned before the season started. Gaps across the pitch, especially in wide areas, but wow! The intensity in the press led to two great goals. Great performance and work done in the first half - then after, all about game management. Brilliant start to the season and a great atmosphere at the Amex. Roll on Thursday and Chelsea away.

Gordon: Villa have been our nemesis for a while so it's good to beat them.

David: A brilliant, aggressive, front-footed first half where the half-time score in no way flattered them. Every player seemed to want to go forward, which has never been the Brighton way. But what a difference in the second half, especially after the substitutions. Back to sideways and backwards passing - the fast, forward passing of the first half was forgotten. So let's be grateful for four goals, a clean sheet and top of the table.

Barry: What a fantastic performance from Brighton! A brilliant 4–0 victory over Aston Villa, with every player contributing. The team looked sharp, confident and dangerous throughout, and Danny Welbeck's absence was barely felt. A superb all-round display and a thoroughly deserved win.

Villa fans

Ian: Villa were really poor and embarrassing! They deserved everything they got from Brighton. Villa players giving the ball away in dangerous areas and no idea of any movement off the ball. Obviously there is a lot of uncertainty with things happening in the transfer window, but things need tightening up. I trust Unai Emery to sort it, especially when injured players are available again.

Dan: Such a worry to start the season like this. The team selected looked so short of quality - then then combine that with the very poor performance, gifting Brighton a number of goals, and it does not look good. Hope we have some signings coming, a few players to regain fitness and Emery can get them being consistent! Doesn't help to have the circus around Ollie Watkins!

Andy: One result should not define a season and clearly there's a rebuilding job to do at Villa. Let's not panic as there have been huge changes in players and the new players will take time to gel. Joao Gomes is quality and will only learn from Sunday, plus will be amazing for us! Keep the faith…

Rod: No striker, no midfield, no first-choice keeper. With the core missing, we did well to lose 4-0. Keep the faith - but I have a gut feeling Unai will depart soon.

Former Premier League midfielder Danny Murphy has praised Brighton for their "superb" performance against Aston Villa at Amex Stadium.

Fabian Hurzeler's side kicked off the 2026-27 Premier League campaign with an impressive 4-0 win over Unai Emery's Europa League-winning team.

"There was so much to like about Brighton, but Aston Villa didn't half give them a helping hand," Murphy said on Match of the Day.

"It was woeful after the first goal. You are away from home in the first game of the season and you cannot afford to give your opponent any impetus.

"You could see what Brighton were trying to do as well. It was so obvious but, take nothing away, they did it so well.

"Brighton were superb - it was a great start for them."

Catch up on Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer

Liverpool, external and Brighton were expected to hold fresh talks on Sunday over winger Yankuba Minteh, as the Reds consider whether to make a third bid. (Ben Jacobs via TeamTalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, speaking to Match of the Day: "We had a tough start but afterwards we got the control back, we pressed intensely, we forced them to do mistakes so it was quite positive. In the end the red card was a game changer."

On approaching the second half 4-0 up: "We still had a few chances and wanted to score but the clean sheet was very important."

On the first half: "We were effective out of possession. We were there in the right moment. We got into a flow and when you are in a flow a lot of things can happen. We have to stay humble, keep working hard because on Thursday we have the next challenge."

On young players playing their part: "We need every player. We will always get young players in full of potential, it's up to us to develop them. It was a positive start so let's keep pushing them."

Brighton goalscorer Jack Hinshelwood, speaking to Match of the Day: "I thought they started qu9ite well and we had to weather a bit of a storm for the first five. After that we brought a real intensinty, energy and passion and it ended with us scoring four goals in the first half. A really good start."

On his two goals: "Credit to the boys. It was a really good start. After we scored a few the confidence grew. We were dangerous every time we got the ball. The press was the main thing."

On the game being done and dusted at half-time: "They had to sit behind the ball with a man less, but the first half was really enjoyable and I've owed Villa a game like that for a while after my debut."

On setting the tone for the rest of the season: "Massive. We've laid the foundations now, we have set the bar and that's it now. We have set a real good standard but that needs to continue now."

Listen to more from Fabian Hurzeler on BBC Sounds here

Did you know?

• Today's victory for Brighton put an end to a run of three consecutive Premier League defeats against Aston Villa, whilst this was just the Seagulls' third victory against the Villans in the competition in what was the 15th meeting between the two sides (W3 D3 L9).

• There were just 79 seconds between Jack Hinshelwood's first (29:11) and second goals (30:30), whilst the 21-year-old has scored four goals in his last four Premier League home matches, as many as he netted in his previous 26 games at the Amex Stadium combined.

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton could not have asked for a better start to the new season.

Like Villa, they have also lost key personnel during the transfer window in defender Jan Paul van Hecke and season striker Danny Welbeck, with midfielder Carlos Baleba likely to join them in leaving soon.

Yet, Hurzeler was still able to field a side that looked far closer to Brighton's first-choice line-up than the one Emery could.

Club-record signing Luka Vuskovic started at centre-back on his Premier League debut and produced an assured display while goals from De Cuyper and Hinshelwood would be a welcome sight as they look to replace Welbeck's output.

Without a recognised striker, Rutter started up front and, despite not getting on the scoresheet, was central during Brighton's attacking spree in the first half.

Hurzeler and his players will have little time to savour their start as attention will turn to the Conference League play-off second leg against Norway's Tromso on Thursday, 27 August (19:30 BST), after a goalless draw last week.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are three games in the Premier League on Sunday as the opening weekend continues, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Man City v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Newcastle v Liverpool (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Brighton v Aston Villa" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Newcastle match", for example.

How to follow the opening Premier League weekend across the BBC

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Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

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New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

Read more about it here

You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link

The Champions League is going to stretch Aston Villa and I don't see them making it back into the top four this season.

They have lost Morgan Rogers as well as Youri Tielemans and, while Johan Manzambi is a young man with a lot of talent, it is a big ask for him to hit the ground running and replace Rogers straight away.

Also, I'm not sure if anyone can get a tune out of Alejandro Garnacho but I suppose if anyone can it is Unai Emery.

Their goalkeeper situation is interesting too, with Japan's Zion Suzuki arriving. He will come in revved up, while Emiliano Martinez looked like he was on his bike until his move to Juventus fell through.

As I had to remind Mark Chapman on Monday Night Club, you can't play with two goalkeepers - they changed many laws of the game over the summer, but not that one - so we will have to see who gets the nod on Saturday.

As for Brighton, they have also lost a couple of key players, such as Danny Welbeck and Jan Paul van Hecke, who were the spine of their team. But I am expecting a big season from Jack Hinshelwood, who was phenomenal for them last season.

Villa started really slowly last season and it took them six league games to get a win. This will be close, but I think they will get off to a flier this time.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

After superb seasons in 2025-26, Brighton and Aston Villa begin what promise to be intriguing campaigns for both at Amex Stadium on Sunday (14:00 BST).

The Seagulls finished last term strongly, snatching a place in the Conference League as a result. While there is excitement about another continental adventure, it has been a busy summer of transfer activity for head coach Fabian Hurzeler to contend with.

The same can be said for Aston Villa, who will play Champions League football this term after their top-five finish and Europa League triumph. Head coach Unai Emery has lost a host of experienced players though, and replacing them will be a major test of his coaching acumen and the club's recruitment strategy.

Brighton rebuild at the back

For Brighton, the big challenge this season will be retaining their edge in both penalty boxes.

Danny Welbeck, who joined Chelsea for £5m this summer, will be a big loss from an attacking perspective. No Seagulls player has scored more in a Premier League campaign than the 13 goals he netted in 2025-26.

There has been a significant restructure in defence, though. After losing Jan Paul van Hecke to Tottenham, Brighton have splashed the cash on Luka Vuskovic from Spurs and Pascal Struijk from Leeds United, and also added Costinha and Michael Svoboda as defensive cover.

Van Hecke was crucial to the way in which the team played and replacing his work in possession could prove trickier than replicating his defensive influence.

Brighton tend to start seasons well, though, winning four and drawing one of their last five Premier League openers. By contrast, Villa have won just two of their last seven since returning to the top flight after being promoted from the Championship in 2020.

Changing of the guard at Villa?

Villa's summer transfer activity will not make it any easier to get off to a fast start, albeit there will be excitement about the business done.

In Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa, Emery has lost some core members behind the team's success in recent seasons. Meanwhile Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins have also been linked with moves away.

Players like Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes should go some way to plugging the gaps left by those who have moved on. But there is no doubt that Villa have a leadership and experience void to plug.

There will also be hope that some youngsters can help ease the transition. In the Super Cup, 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo caught the eye with a goal against Paris St-Germain – he became the youngest player to score for Aston Villa since Louie Barry netted against Liverpool in the FA Cup in January 2021 – while George Hemmings is also expected to play a more significant role in the coming weeks.

With plenty of transfer business still likely to be done at Villa Park and Emery's penchant for giving new arrivals time to bed in, both could be thrust into the Premier League action at the Amex.