Fabian Hurzeler opens up on Crystal Palace trip as Brighton boss relishing rivalry | Football | Sport

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler may have only been in the job a few months, but knows first hand how much Sunday’s showdown with rivals Crystal Palace means.

The 31-year-old German has made an impressive start to life in the Premier League, with the Seagulls sitting seventh.

Former St Pauli manager Hurzeler revealed he was at Selhurst Park for last season’s 1-1 draw in December 2023, when Danny Welbeck’s late goal secured Brighton a point.

It is an experience which left him in no doubt of just how important the fixture is for both clubs.

“Luckily I have visited last season the game between Crystal Palace and Brighton in Palace, so I saw the game live,” Hurzeler said.

“I experienced it on my own, how the rivalry is, how the mood is between the two clubs.

“I have also experienced some big derbies in my former time (in Germany), so I know what it means for the fans and for the club.

“It is a game, in the end it is only about three points, but on top of that, it is about the meaning of the game.

“I know also from the past that the meaning, especially for the fans, is high, and also for the club it is very high and that is why we need to give everything on the pitch to win this derby.”

Hurzeler told a press conference: “Everyone in the building knows the meaning, so I don’t have to artificially emphasise it and that is not my way of working. It is to prepare the team the best we can do like every other game.

“We have a lot of experienced players in the squad, they know how important this game is for the club, how important it is for the fans and that is the main thing.

“We have to give back the fans three points we might have wasted in the last games and I think that is the most important.”

Brighton host Palace on the back of three league matches without a win after Leicester fought back from 2-0 down to draw, scoring twice in the final five minutes.

Hurzeler is hoping a bit of self-analysis can help the squad soon return to form.

“We have tried to reflect the last games, tried to improve, to integrate some principles. Hopefully we have used it the right way this week,” said the Brighton boss.

“One big part is the game management, not only against Leicester but also against Fulham and Southampton. It has happened now several times.

“We talked about the winning culture, how we can lift this and how we can fulfil this winning culture. On top of that it is also about how you improve the game to play consistently for 90 minutes.”