The injury news Brighton fans wanted to hear ahead of Fulham relegation battle

Brighton and Hove Albion received some good news on the injury fron ahead of their vital clash against fellow Premier League strugglers Fulham at the Amex Stadium tomorrow night
Graham Potter could have Adam Lallana available for the crunch clash against Fulham at the Amex tomorrowGraham Potter could have Adam Lallana available for the crunch clash against Fulham at the Amex tomorrow
Graham Potter could have Adam Lallana available for the crunch clash against Fulham at the Amex tomorrow

Albion head coach Potter expects to have midfielder Adam Lallana (illness and groin) and striker Aaron Connolly (hamstring) back in his squad following their respective fitness issues, although neither is likely to start.

Connolly has not featured for Albion since their pulsating 3-3 home draw against Wolves at the start of January. Connolly looked sharp that day and scored a well-taken goal during the first half but failed to appear in the second half after tweaking his hamstring.

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The injury took a little longer than expected to heal but the Ireland international has trained well this week and is expected to available to use from the bench against Scott Parker's team.

The return of playmaker Lallana is also a timely boost. The 32-year-old former Liverpool midfielder also last played for Albion on January 2 against Wolves as he appeared as a 69th minute substitute for Dan Burn.

Lallana is available having recovered from illness and groin a problem.

Tariq Lamptey, who last played for Brighton in the 0-0 draw at Fulham last on December 16, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. The 20-year-old is pencilled in for a February return.

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Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Danny Welbeck (knee) remain sidelined for the Seagulls.

Potter also stressed Premier League relegation is not decided in January as he moved to play down the significance of Wednesday’s showdown with fellow strugglers Fulham.

Albion sit five points and one position above Scott Parker’s 18th-placed Cottagers ahead of the midweek meeting at the Amex Stadium, albeit having played a game more.

While the perilous positions of the clubs have seen the match dubbed a ‘six-pointer’, Potter was eager to avoid adding to the hype.

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“As far as I know you only get three for this one! But, if we win, I will take six, no problem,” he said.

“The point is, if you ask me or Scott, I am sure we would both say we’d love to win and three points would be fantastic for us.

“But we have got another 50-odd points to play for in the Premier League and nothing is finished in January, you have to keep fighting.

“I am sure both teams want to win.”

Brighton go into the second half of the campaign having registered a meagre 17 points from their opening 19 fixtures.

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The Seagulls ended a nine-game winless streak at Leeds in their last Premier League outing but are still awaiting a first top-flight home success of the season.

Potter, who believes the value of home advantage has decreased due to games being played without supporters, admits halting the lengthy wait for a league win in Sussex would ease the pressure on his side.

“We want to try and improve that record,” he said.

“Anybody will say that if you’re winning your home games, everything becomes a little bit easier.

“You can see how the games have gone this year, the home advantage is less and less.

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“You just have to keep fighting and know that – home or away – there’s an opportunity to win, as well as to lose.

“You have to have that respect of the opposition and the league. We will do our best to turn it around.”