Last updated: 30 October 2026, 09:21 GMT. Correction: the league match is three days after Wednesday’s cup tie. The player-availability update is unchanged.
Brighton team news for the return to Manchester City brings three possible additions: Chema Andres, Ferdi Kadioglu and Babis Kostoulas are back in contention for Saturday 31 October’s Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium. Kick-off is 3pm GMT.
Brighton team news: what has changed?
In the club’s preview published at 6am on 30 October, head coach Fabian Hurzeler said the three absentees could be options for Saturday. It is a fresh availability update for the league game, rather than a repeat of the squad position before Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie.
Fantasy Football Scout’s report of Thursday’s press conference supplies the distinction between the cases: Kostoulas was rested, while Chema and Kadioglu had been recovering from hip problems. The same report says Pascal Struijk will not be an option this weekend.
Why the extra options matter
Albion are returning to the same ground three days after the 2–2 cup draw and 4–3 penalty shoot-out defeat. Minteh and Wieffer made their injury comebacks in that match; the latest club account says both are available again.
Hurzeler’s published assessment links any changes to availability and how players have recovered since Wednesday. That leaves two questions separate: who can be selected, and who is ready to provide the intensity the coach wants. Friday’s positive update answers the first only provisionally.
Brighton Locals’ view
More options are encouraging after a short turnaround, particularly when they reduce the need to ask the same players to carry every minute. But “in contention” deserves to remain exactly that. Treating a returning player as a guaranteed starter would turn useful team news into guesswork.
What supporters should check next
Use the official Albion website for any later fitness update and the confirmed matchday team sheet. Travelling supporters should check the date and competition on their ticket: this is Saturday’s league fixture, not Wednesday’s cup booking.
Bottom line: Albion may have a stronger pool to choose from at the Etihad; the final team will show how far those returns go.
Featured image: Etihad Stadium and Campus exterior, Manchester, 6 March 2015. Archive photograph by Hassocks5489 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Not a photograph of either October 2026 match.
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