(Reuters) – According to manager Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton & Hove Albion forward Ansu Fati and defender Tariq Lamptey will both be out of action for a significant period after sustaining injuries over the weekend.
Lamptey and Barcelona loanee Fati were injured during the first half of Brighton’s 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, which ended their six-game winless streak in the Premier League.
Brighton, who are set to play AEK Athens in the Europa League later on Thursday, have been struggling with several key players on the sidelines, including Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck, Solly March and Julio Enciso.
“Ansu and Lamptey are both injured,” De Zebri told reporters on Wednesday.
“We have lost them for a long time, I think.”
Despite their injury troubles, Brighton are currently second in Group B with seven points from four games, trailing behind Marseille by just one point. While they suffered a defeat to AEK in their first game, they have an opportunity to make up for it in Athens.
The extensive list of injured players makes their upcoming matches more challenging, but De Zebri stated that they must concentrate on the fit players on the team.
“We will have to compete,” he added. “I don’t know if we will win, but we will fight to win the game for sure.”
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
