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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.

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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."

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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.

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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