'Big issue' - Injury update for Brighton star is not good after Manchester City draw
Injury and team news for Brighton and Hove Albion
Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey faces another injury issue as Fabian Hurzeler provided an update after the 2-2 draw at Manchester City.
Lamptey was expected to be in the matchday squad to face City, having served his one-match suspension in last week’s 2-1 win against Fulham following his dismissal in the FA Cup win at Newcastle.
The former Chelsea man missed the trip to the Etihad with an ankle issue while midfielder Solly March also missed out with a “small issue”.
"Yes, T has a bigger issue,” said Hurzeler. “He had a bad moment in the training session, I can't say exactly how long he will be out and Solly has just a small issue so I think he will be back after the international break.”
Lamptey’s injury is a further blow as fellow right back Joel Veltman is also sidelined with a foot issue. Hurzeler hopes Veltman will be fit after the international break in time to face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup quarter-final on March 29.
City twice let slip the lead to draw 2-2 at home against Brighton. Goals from Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush were cancelled out by a superb Pervis Estupinan free-kick and Abdukodir Khusanov’s own goal as the champions endured more frustration at the Etihad Stadium.
Nico Gonzalez hit the post as Pep Guardiola’s side chased a late winner but Brighton, who have never won away against City, had spurned their own gilt-edged chance when Carlos Baleba shot over.
Brighton are seventh in the table and continue their push for Champions League qualification. Midfielder Jack Hinshelwood said: “If we can keep this momentum going it's going to be hard to stop us. Last season we had a taste of what Europe can be like. As a club, we're driving to getting back to that feeling."
Brighton boss Hurzeler was pleased with the point but frustrated with the way his team conceded the two goals. “We lost the two points because we didn't find the right balance between when we play out from the back, when we try to find a solution on the ground and when we go for a long ball and for the second ball.
"So I think this decision-making, especially in the first half, wasn't on the highest level from us and we have to analyse it and we have to be honest to each other that it's our responsibility that we weren't clean enough in the first half and therefore we always have to react on a goal from City and that costs a lot of energy.
"We did it in quite an impressive way but in the end, we missed a little bit of this energy that we have to bring into the first half to react to the goals from City.”