Key striker and defender set to miss West Brom as Graham Potter reveals how Brighton will cope without captain

Captain Lewis Dunk will miss the game through suspension, after receiving a straight red card at Crystal Palace, and Graham Potter revealed that Alireza Jahanbakhsh is an injury doubt. 

Speaking in his pre-match press conference yesterday (Thursday, October 23), Potter said: “Alireza is still recovering from his hamstring. He hasn’t trained today so we’ll see how he is tomorrow and the upcoming days.

“He’s probably a doubt at the moment but everyone else, we seem to be okay.

“José [Izquierdo] is having another spell with the under-23s tomorrow so should build up some game time [as he continues his recovery from a long-term knee injury].

“Apart from that, we are fully fit.”

Potter said Davy Propper trained this week and is in contention to play a part on Monday, after recovering from an Achilles problem.

“He is one we’ll probably assess towards the back end of the week but, as it stands at the moment, he is available providing there is no reaction,” he said.

The manager also revealed that Christian Walton is on the way back to full fitness after damaging his ankle in the pre-season friendly against Chelsea.

Potter said: “He is making good progress, he has trained today with the team, getting stronger and stronger, so I expect his is going to be pushing for some game time pretty soon.”

Potter was asked how Albion would be able to cope without key defender Dunk, who will miss the next three games. 

“He’s our captain, a really important player and important person [so] he’s a miss,” Potter said. “At the same time, that’s what you’ve got a squad for.

“We’ve got good players that want to play and are waiting to help the team. It gives us those options and there is flexibility there in terms of the back four, or back three.

“We can make that decision later on but I’ve been happy with how the team has been functioning recently.

“The performances have been good so I’m reluctant to change too much.

“There’s not another Lewis Dunk in our squad. He’s our captain and he’s a bit unique. That means you have to find a collective solution.”

Potter said he hasn’t yet decided who will be skipper, in Dunk’s absence, adding: “We’ll make a decision based on the team selection.”

On the importance of the role of a captain, Potter said: “It’s the figurehead of the group and someone to look up to. They represents the club, so [there is] a lot of responsibility.

“You want to develop leadership within the group and not rely on a title to facilitate that.

“That’s something we’ve been trying to do generally across the board. Some are more focal than others but it’s not about how loud you shout, it’s about how you act, what you do and think.

“The group is in a really good place, the spirit is really good, togetherness really strong. It’s a nice environment to select somebody from.”

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