Fabian Hurzeler Issues Double Warning to Liverpool Ahead of “Second Leg” Against Brighton

Brighton face Liverpool for the second time in just a few days, as Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler prepares his squad for the Premier League clash at Anfield on Saturday.

Fabian Hurzeler could see two key players return to action, giving the Brighton manager an added advantage in their quest for revenge against Liverpool on their home turf.

In the recent Carabao Cup match, Hurzeler’s team was unable to mount a late comeback, falling 3-2 after slipping 2-0 behind against Arne Slot’s side. However, the Premier League fixture offers the Seagulls an immediate shot at redemption.

Brighton have already managed to take points from Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester United this season, and they will be hoping to add Liverpool to the list and potentially impact the Reds’ title ambitions. The 31-year-old manager will have more options to consider on Saturday.

Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley have returned to training, a positive development for the south coast side. Although both players still need to prove their fitness, their return offers a potential boost for Hurzeler.

Pedro, sidelined since September after an ankle injury from a challenge by Morgan Gibbs-White, could be nearing a comeback.

“We have to see – he is coming back after a long injury – if he will be an option, but he is back in training,” said Hurzeler, ahead of the Liverpool clash.

Meanwhile, O’Riley has seen only nine minutes of action for the club since his summer move from Celtic. The Fulham academy graduate needed surgery after sustaining an ankle injury during a challenge from Crawley Town’s Jay Williams in his debut match.

“Matt O’Riley is back in training,” Hurzeler said. “We have to see when he will be ready for potential playing in the squad.

“We didn’t expect him to be back this quickly but we have great experts in our medical team. He’s worked hard in rehab and he’s a very good character. We’re looking forward to having him on the pitch.”

Hurzeler will be hoping his team shows greater ruthlessness in their second meeting with Liverpool. The young coach was left frustrated by his side’s lack of efficiency in their previous performance.

“It’s disappointing to be knocked out of the cup but we were not ruthless enough, and I think that was the difference,” said Hurzeler.

“Liverpool scored at the right moments. They scored out of nowhere with an unbelievable shot. They had the timing on their side today and we were not able to reply at the right moments.

“We had a lot of positive things but of course also negative things, otherwise you wouldn’t lose the match.”

In other news, “Outstanding” Liverpool Player Could be Set for Lengthy Spell Out of the Team After Carabao Cup “Nightmare” vs Brighton