How do you prepare for facing the same opponents twice in the space of four days in different competitions?
That is the next test for Fabian Hurzeler, as Brighton & Hove Albion take on Liverpool in the last-16 tie of the Carabao Cup at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday night, then travel to Anfield to tackle Arne Slot’s side in the Premier League on Saturday.
The double clash between clubs both beaten only once so far across all competitions this season is not entirely new territory for Hurzeler, the 31-year-old German who has guided Brighton to wins over Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Manchester United, plus a draw at Arsenal in his first 11 games in charge.
In a press conference last week, the former St Pauli head coach said: “I had a similar situation last season, when we played (Fortuna) Dusseldorf. It is always interesting how you prepare for the first match. Then, how it went in the first match, if you make some changes.
“Or if you change the way you play, a tactic, and how fit the players are. It will be very interesting to play two games in a row against Liverpool. Just to play against Liverpool will be interesting. They’ve had a great start to the season and they have a great new coach.”
St Pauli won 2-1 at Dusseldorf in January on their way to winning the German second-tier league title under Hurzeler. They might have had a second trophy to celebrate but, three days after that victory, they lost 4-3 at home to Dusseldorf on penalties in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) following a 2-2 draw.
Hurzeler only made three changes to the St Pauli team between those matches. He has greater scope at Brighton to meddle with the line-ups for the twin test against Liverpool. They have the strongest squad in the club’s history, after spending nearly £200million ($260m) on nine signings in the summer transfer window.
One of those new buys, former Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley, is still recovering from ankle ligament damage sustained in the early stages of his debut in a 4-0 home win against League One side Crawley in the Carabao Cup in August. Joao Pedro (ankle), Solly March (knee), Lewis Dunk (calf), James Milner (hamstring) and Adam Webster (hamstring) will also miss both matches against Liverpool. Even so, Hurzeler still has plenty of options to make changes.
Hurzeler altered the entire starting line-up against Crawley. That was a good opportunity to utilise the squad against inferior opposition in the third game of his reign. He was slightly more circumspect in the next round, making eight changes for a 3-2 home victory against Premier League rivals Wolves.
Brighton’s progress in the competition adds an intriguing dynamic to Hurzeler’s approach to the matches against Liverpool. The aim is to qualify for European football for the second time, having finished sixth under former head coach Roberto De Zerbi in 2022-23 and going on to reach the last 16 of the Europa League last season with the Italian at the helm.
Brighton are sixth in the table and the Carabao Cup provides another route — the winners are awarded a Conference League place. Brighton are positioning themselves as genuine contenders for their first major silverware.
Get past Liverpool and they will be in the quarter-finals of a competition that contains three Championship clubs and four of the Premier League’s bottom seven in the last 16. The possibility of a kind draw opening a route to an ever deeper run is increased by the Carabao Cup being lower on the list of priorities for the biggest clubs focusing more on European competitions this season.
Take Liverpool as an example. They have 24 hours less to prepare for their trip to the Amex after Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal. Brighton’s league visit three days later is followed three days after that by another big night at Anfield in the Champions League group stage against Bayer Leverkusen.
There are no prizes for guessing which of the next three matches will be the lowest priority for Slot. Liverpool will be stronger at Anfield than at the Amex. It is an additional factor for Hurzeler to take into consideration in managing the two games.
Previous examples of double-headers of the type they are confronting against Liverpool have not gone well for Brighton during the club’s Premier League era. In September 2017, they were still getting to grips with their return to the top flight after an absence of 34 years when they played Bournemouth twice away from home in quick succession. Manager Chris Hughton made 10 changes to the team beaten 2-1 at Bournemouth in the league for a Carabao Cup third-round tie five days later. They lost narrowly again, 1-0 after extra time.
In September 2020, during a season affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Manchester United visited an empty Amex twice in five days. Graham Potter’s Brighton lost a dramatic league encounter 3-2, after Bruno Fernandez converted a 100th-minute penalty for United, awarded by the VAR after the full-time whistle had blown, for a handball by Neal Maupay. Potter made nine changes for a last-16 tie in the Carabao Cup between the sides, as United strolled through to the quarter-finals with a 3-0 victory.
Quickfire return meetings can lead to contrasting results, as Manchester United discovered to their cost in September last season. They crushed Brighton’s arch-rivals Crystal Palace 3-0 at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup. Seven of the same United players featured in a 1-0 home defeat in the Premier League four days later, orchestrated by Roy Hodgson. The former Palace and England manager made six changes for the preceding cup game, which included resting some regulars.
Results flipped for Liverpool against Chelsea in the climax of the 2012 campaign. Kenny Dalglish’s side lost 2-1 in the FA Cup final, before seven of the same players inflicted a 4-1 defeat on Chelsea at Anfield in the Premier League three days later as they ended up eighth in the table, two places below their victims. Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo had mitigating circumstances for making eight changes. Eleven days later, Chelsea won the Champions League final, beating Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties.
Thomas Tuchel, England’s new head coach, had contrasting fortunes against Leicester at the end of the 2020-21 season when he was Chelsea manager. Hurzeler’s compatriot suffered the pain of a 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup final but joyful revenge three days later, a 2-1 league win at Stamford Bridge proving key in pipping Leicester to a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.
In the winter of 1999, when replays were a thing, Tottenham faced Wimbledon five times in a month in different competitions (Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup), resulting in three draws and two wins for Spurs.
Hurzeler and Slot will not be sick of the sight of each other to the extent that George Graham (Tottenham) and the late Joe Kinnear (Wimbledon) were back then. But their dual duel will clarify how many fronts they are fighting on and have an impact on how the top of the table looks after 10 games.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
