Brighton aiming to ‘take the next step’ this season

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Fabian Hurzeler wants Brighton to “take the next step” this season as they look to build on successive eighth-place finishes in the Premier League.

Brighton qualified for the Conference League last term, with their latest European campaign set to start next month.

The Seagulls have taken four points from their opening three top-flight matches, beating Aston Villa 4-0, losing 4-3 to Chelsea and then drawing 1-1 with Leeds United.

Brighton head to Coventry City, who are without a point so far, on Sunday, and Hurzeler has highlighted his ambition for this season to serve as the next step in his team’s development.

“We have high expectations of ourselves. We want to play a season the fans will always remember, but we have to see as a club that we are capable of playing a lot of games in a very successful way,” he told Sky Sports.

“We always [talk] of making the next step, growing as a club, and therefore we have to show now that we are capable of being successful and achieving things without losing our style and intensity.”

Brighton had a busy transfer window, with 13 players leaving and 10 coming in.

“It’s now our responsibility to really integrate these new players,” said Hurzeler.

“They are here for a reason, and we proved in the past that we have one of the best recruitment systems in the world, so they have potential and they will show this potential.

“I can say that I’m a better manager now than I was before, but not only because I reflect on my mistakes; I reflect on my decisions, I reflect on my progress and my development.

“I have great staff around me, I have great experts, great support from all of my staff members and I have great support from my team and great personalities.”

Setting our sights on Sunday! pic.twitter.com/kWU3I5P4DG

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@BHAFC) September 11, 2026

Frank Lampard’s Coventry are yet to score a goal in the league this term, and they need their attacking talents to start delivering.

Rudoni was their talisman in the Championship, accumulating 35 goal involvements (17 goals, 18 assists) over the past two seasons. Can the midfielder break Coventry’s duck this time out?

Only Bruno Fernandes has played more passes into the box (38) and made more successful crosses (eight) in the Premier League this season than De Cuyper (29 passes into the box, seven successful crosses).

Lampard has lost 12 of his last 15 Premier League games (W1 D2), a run that includes two home defeats against Brighton (1-4 in January 2023 with Everton, 1-2 in April 2023 with Chelsea).

Brighton have had more big chances (15) and a higher xG (7.4) than any other side in the Premier League this season. At the other end, only Arsenal (24) and Manchester City (26) have faced fewer shots than the Seagulls (33).

Coventry have lost all three of their Premier League games by an aggregate score of 0-5 this season. In the competition’s history, only Crystal Palace in 2017-18 have lost each of their first four without scoring, ultimately finishing 11th that campaign.

However, Coventry have won each of their last three home league games against Brighton, with this their first since a 2-0 Championship success in December 2011.

Brighton and Coventry last faced off in the top flight in 1982-83; the Seagulls have only lost one of their last seven meetings at this level (W3 D3), a 2-0 defeat in December 1982.

The Seagulls have lost just one of their last 14 Premier League games against promoted sides (W7 D6), though it was in their last such game at Leeds United in May (0-1).

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