Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that Ferdi Kadioglu, Chema Andres and Babis Kostoulas are all back in contention for the Premier League meeting with Manchester City this weekend.
The Seagulls face City for the second time in three days after their Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at the Etihad Stadium. Brighton were beaten on penalties in that match despite leading twice, with captain Lewis Dunk missing the decisive spot-kick.
Injury returns boost squad
Kostoulas was rested for the cup tie, while Kadioglu and Chema missed out after being forced off through injury during the defeat at Liverpool last Sunday. That loss was Brighton's second in the Premier League this season.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Hurzeler said: "We are quite convinced they will be options for Saturday."
Yankuba Minteh and Mats Wieffer, who both returned from injury in Wednesday's cup match, came through the game unscathed and will also be available for selection.
Preparing for a tough test
Reflecting on the cup performance, Hurzeler said: "On Wednesday we saw plenty of good individual performances, so we definitely took that away. If we change something in the starting XI it depends if players are available and how they present themselves after Wednesday."
The Brighton boss emphasised the physical demands of facing City, adding: "We need to go there with a mentally and physically refreshed team because we need intensity against City. They have the best individual players in the league, so you need to be tough, tight, precise, and at the highest physical and mental level."
