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Hurzeler on injuries, 'fighting for momentum' and Bournemouth

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

  • Jack Hinshelwood will be assessed before the Bournemouth match, although Hurzeler said his knee problem is "nothing serious". Lewis Dunk is training and "is close" to returning, but Ferdi Kadioglu is unlikely to face the Cherries.

  • On the return of his players from international duty: "I'm always happy when the squad is back. We now have a long period when we can work with the team and individual players and I'm really looking forward to it. We had a lot of positive things, now it's very important the players come back in a good mood and good shape, and remember quickly what our identity and culture is, because they will have experienced different philosophies [with their national teams]."

  • On trying to continue the positive momentum from results and performances before the international break: "You always have to work to get momentum. It's always a new game and no matter if there's a break between games or not, the game starts from zero. You have to go into the game and do the things you can influence to the maximum."

  • He continued: "You can't say 'we won against Manchester City and now the momentum will keep going', it's about fighting for momentum. It's a new game, a different challenge and a really big challenge because Bournemouth are one of the strongest teams at the moment."

  • On Bournemouth: "They can play very intense, they run a lot, they have individual quality, they are in good shape. For me at the moment, they're one of the best teams in the league."

  • Yankuba Minteh's return to action with Gambia during the international break adds to Hurzeler's attacking options - asked if it gives him a "difficult decision", the Brighton boss said: "It's part of the job to make unpopular decisions. Not every player will be happy but decisions are always made for the success of the club. The players need to deserve to play."

  • He added: "We had players who played before, players have come back from injury and that's really important for the competition. I'm really looking forward to every player being back because that produces a hunger of wanting to play and competing against team-mates. With that, the team will grow."

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[BBC]