Before the Albion face Nottingham Forest in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup, Sussex World Reporters Derren Howard and Henry Bryant discussed Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler's pre-match press conference.
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00:00Yes guys, how's it going? I'm Henry Bright and that's Darren Howard. We're reporters for Sussex
00:05World and we've just been to the pre-match press conference as the Albion face Nottingham Forest
00:11in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. There's cup fever in the air, we're really looking forward
00:16to this one and Fabian Herzl will be speaking to us about the injuries, team news and more.
00:22So Darren, talk to me about what sort of injuries Brighton have and how are they looking for this
00:27one? Yeah, well there's a bit of encouraging news. So their captain Lewis Dunk, he's available again,
00:31he's missed the last six matches with a rib injury. So he's back available for selection
00:36but whether he's going to be in the team or not is an interesting debate because Adam Webster's
00:41done very well in his absence. Usually in seasons gone by, if Lewis Dunk is fit, he plays straight
00:48away, it's never been an option. But I think on this occasion, I think he'll be back on the bench,
00:52it would seem harsh to drop Adam Webster at this point with the form that he's been in.
00:58Also Matt O'Reilly, he's back in contention as well, he's missed the last couple of matches with
01:03a knee injury and he's available for selection now. Solly March is also back as well.
01:09But on the downside, Tarek Lamptey, he was struggling with a foot injury before, missed the
01:15I think he missed the Fulham game and the Manchester City game and now he's looking
01:21for a set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. I asked him about that in a bit more detail and it
01:27seems as though he's going to be out for a few weeks at least. He didn't rule him out for the
01:31season but he's going to be out for a few weeks I think at the very least which would probably see
01:38Jack Hinchelwood slot in in the right-back position which he played so well for the
01:42England under-21s during the international break. So yeah, that's how we're shaping up for this one.
01:49And Nottingham Forest, Brighton fans will still feel that 7-0 defeat but what's come after it
01:55has been fantastic and they're without their star striker Chris Wood. It's a blow for Nottingham
02:01Forest, yeah he's been so good for them this season, 15 goals in the Premier League this
02:06season, he scored the hat-trick against Brighton as well. So I'm sure many Brighton fans and Fabian
02:11Herzog himself would be quite pleased that he's not playing but they still have quite a few threats
02:16all over the pitch and he was just speaking about it in the press conference about how
02:21they manage the game, how Premier League ready they are, that they've got the know-how and they
02:25just know how to get the job done. I think he described them as a winning machine this season
02:30and it's hard to argue with that, they've been very good. They drew 2-2 with Brighton at the
02:34Amex earlier this season and then obviously thumped them 7-0 at the city ground which was a complete
02:40chaotic display from Brighton but I think it's going to be very tight, I think it's going to
02:45be more like the 2-2 that we saw at the Amex, I hope, than the 7-0 at the city ground.
02:52So yeah, I'm really looking forward to it, it's going to be a good match.
02:55Fabian was also speaking about Nuno Espirito Santo and what he's been able to do at the club,
02:59I mean it's fantastic isn't it really, what he's been able to achieve so far.
03:03They've really been the surprise package this season, I don't think anyone really predicted
03:07that they'd be in third place with just nine Premier League games to go this season.
03:12In the FA Cup they've got through, they've managed to find a way through it, they needed penalties
03:17to get past Exeter City in the earlier rounds, they then beat Ipswich Town who are struggling
03:22in the Premier League on penalties, again needed penalties, that was a very tight match.
03:27So Brighton I think with their home form, I think they'll fancy their chances, they've been very
03:33good at home, they've been on a good runner form, hopefully the international break hasn't disrupted
03:37their momentum but I think it's going to be very close but Brighton are in with a great chance of
03:43progress to a Wembley semi-final.
03:45Fantastic, I mean there is this magic in the air.
03:49One final question I wanted to ask you is, if they were to win this game, go to Wembley,
03:55how important is that for Fabian who is having his first season here in the Premier League,
04:01do you think that that's season completed or do you think he needs to do more?
04:06I think it would be a great achievement in his first season with the injuries he's had this year.
04:11I think it's been an impressive first season in the Premier League for Herzéla, there was a lot
04:18of change at Brighton when he came in last summer, plenty of new signings but for me I think the way
04:26he's dealt with that defeat at Nottingham Forest, it was a real setback for him, there were fans,
04:32I wouldn't say calling for his head, there were a small section of fans that were disgruntled by
04:36it and weren't too impressed but I think the way he's responded to that defeat showed maturity
04:42beyond his years as a manager, I think the results speak for themselves after that performance and a
04:49Wembley semi-final would be a nice start to his career with Brighton but he's a winner, he's going
04:58to want to go on to that next step so a Wembley semi-final would be great but I think Brighton
05:02would be looking hopefully beyond that as well. Absolutely, all to play for this weekend,
05:07thanks for that Deron and you can find all of our match coverage and more at sussexworld.co.uk