Brighton Round-Up, Friday 23rd October: Jablonec Stalemate Leaves Hurzeler Wanting More as Minteh and Wieffer Near Returns

Brighton were held to a goalless draw away at Jablonec in the Conference League, with Fabian Hurzeler admitting his side "weren't at our highest level" on the night (SussexWorld) (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com) (The Argus). The Argus noted it was effectively a carbon copy of the earlier stalemate in Tromso, and warned that failing to turn such draws into wins could make the race for a top-eight finish harder as the season goes on (The Argus). Despite the lack of goals, one travelling fan told the BBC he was still "doing the quadruple" in his head and remains buoyant about Albion's European campaign so far (BBC Sport).

Attention now turns to Sunday's Premier League trip to Anfield to face Liverpool (Football365). The Argus reports that both Yankuba Minteh and Mats Wieffer are closing in on returns to the squad, with the pair likely to be back in contention at some point over the coming eight days (The Argus). SussexWorld's round-up of the injury list adds that Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma and Wieffer are all being managed with an eye on the Anfield trip, while a separate SussexWorld piece gives a specific update on Minteh's fitness as he continues to be linked with Liverpool (SussexWorld) (SussexWorld). On the home side's front, Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has also confirmed a fresh injury blow of their own ahead of the game (SussexWorld). Pundit Chris Sutton, for his part, has predicted a four-goal thriller at Anfield, though he described Brighton as "not convincing" in his assessment of the match (SussexWorld).

Off the pitch, Fabian Hurzeler has had to field questions about his own future amid reports linking him with the vacancy at Manchester United following Michael Carrick's uncertain position there (Sports Mole) (BBC Sport) (SussexWorld). Hurzeler insisted he is not even thinking about the Old Trafford job and said he remains "fully focused" on his role at Brighton, while also praising Carrick (Sports Mole) (BBC Sport). Football365's weekend preview also touches on the wider managerial context, describing Carrick as facing what could be his last game in the Old Trafford dugout (Football365).

Elsewhere, the Guardian has profiled Pascal Gross, highlighting his reputation as an "obsessive runner" and crediting his relentless work-rate with helping keep Brighton "one step ahead" during their strong start to the season (The Guardian).

Away from first-team matters, the BBC reports that 45 fans from both Brighton & Hove Albion and Portsmouth are taking on a 23-mile charity walk in Normandy in support of a veterans' charity (BBC Sport).

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.