At 3:00 AM Beijing time (CEST) on September 17, Brighton will face Manchester United away in the third round of the League Cup. Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler spoke to the media ahead of the match, discussing topics including VAR and team selection.

Dunk scored a world-class goal against Coventry.

I've seen everyone around saying that the celebration went viral on social media, and the players' reactions also drew attention. I can't believe Lewis (Dunk) scored a goal like that, but the next match is what we focus on. You only need a moment to enjoy it, then shift your focus to Manchester United.

That's your approach, but what about him?

I don't know, you have to ask him. But I think his mentality is the same as mine because he's a winner, and he wants to achieve his goals with this club. He's never satisfied, so I'm very confident his thinking is the same.

Although cup matches offer players chances to get playing time and develop, does this excellent form and momentum make selecting the League Cup lineup more difficult?

I think we're very clear about how to handle this, because we always emphasize that physical fitness must be managed early in the season. Currently, not all players are available, so I think paying special attention to fitness is even more necessary.

On the other hand, as you mentioned, we're in good form, and there are two more matches before the international break. I hope my team gives everything, so we'll field the fittest players. Of course, we also have objectives to achieve—progressing to the next round. Therefore, we must balance all the aspects mentioned, and hopefully we can make the right decisions.

This international break is longer, about three weeks. Will this change your approach?

No, we won't change anything; we'll do what we did during the last international break. The players will have a few days off, there are no matches in the second week, we'll play a friendly, and then hopefully get back into rhythm as quickly as possible. The only downside is that international players will definitely be away for a long time, so it will be very important to reintegrate them as soon as possible afterward.

We want to finish the first phase of this season strongly—that's our main goal, so we're working toward it. We'll give everything in this match and try to stay competitive and push for promotion to the next round. As for managing the international break, we'll handle it properly.

VAR made an error in the Manchester Derby last weekend. What's your opinion on VAR?

I always say that VAR makes football fairer, and that's certainly been proven. Of course, there are situations like the Manchester Derby last weekend, which isn't ideal. It's absolutely not ideal—things like that shouldn't happen, but in the end, they did. What matters is, hopefully, things like this will never happen again. I think that's the key.

There's always a lot of discussion about VAR—it somewhat dampens excitement and disrupts the rhythm of play, which is certainly part of it. But on the other hand, I also think it's been proven that VAR does make the game fairer and reduces wrong decisions, and I agree with that. There are pros and cons, and ultimately everyone has their own opinion. We have to accept reality and focus on what we can control—that's the key.

What do you expect from Manchester United? Do you expect their starting lineup to be significantly different?

We expect Manchester United to field a strong lineup, and we expect they will definitely react after their loss. I feel that every team wants to bounce back after a defeat, so I think this is a big challenge for us, but we're ready. I think the key still comes down to us—how we approach the match.

For me, the most important thing is to show that we have the belief to win this match. I think we must stick to our principles and show our style of play—that's the essence of it. So we need to have the right mentality, and only then can we truly control the rhythm of the match, how it starts, and how we handle the fine margins—that's what we need to focus on.

The League Cup is a competition where you can win a trophy.

Exactly, of course. Well, this is a great opportunity for this group of players. Yes, 100% it is. It's a chance to win a trophy, and our club also has higher expectations and ambitions for itself.

But if you want to achieve success, you have to compete against the strongest teams in the league, and Manchester United is one of the strongest. So we're looking forward to this match. We'll try our best and attempt to show the best of Brighton, and then I think we have a chance to progress to the next round.

What have you learned from the League Cup in the past two seasons?

Anything can happen; it's clearly a competition where you must be at your best in every aspect. You must be defensively solid, show enough courage in possession, excel at set pieces, and maintain it for 90 minutes.

When facing these giants, usually every player has a high level of skill, and they can step up and make an impact in a moment. So I think we must always maintain high standards and master the fundamentals. These are the things we must do, and the main goal is to progress to the next round. We need the right tactical strategy, and hopefully we can show that tomorrow.

Will goalkeeper Steele play in the League Cup?

Of course he will. As I mentioned before, he's one of the best backup goalkeepers in the Premier League, and we certainly want to give him more playing time this season. Therefore, he must make the most of tomorrow's opportunity and be a real leader. I have full confidence in him and hope he performs well.

Regarding Chema Andres' Premier League debut and giving chances to young players

As I said at the last press conference, we must evaluate each player's performance independently, and whether we give them a chance depends on our assessment. What's most important is that every player must truly show their willingness to fight on the pitch, to integrate into the team, and to deeply understand our tactical philosophy and style of play. Then we'll give them chances at the right time.

When working with Chema (Andres), I immediately felt that he's very clear about how we play. And for the others, we gradually build our confidence and trust in them, recognizing their abilities. Of course, we also need to see when the best time is to give them chances. These young players are truly working hard to improve and integrate. They fit very well with our culture and values, so I'm very pleased with everyone.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com