The Seagulls were frustrated on Wednesday as Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City edged through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on penalties following a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes.

A goal and an assist from Georginio Rutter, alongside Malick Yalcouyé’s third goal of the season, weren’t enough to knock out the holders.

Both City goals came in frustrating fashion for The Albion.

“We had enough chances to win this game; the goals we conceded were very unlucky. The first goal was when they were one man up, and the second goal was a deflected free kick; that’s football.”

Hürzeler was very vocal in his post-match press conference about how both wasted chances and bad luck contributed to Brighton’s exit, and he spoke further about how he believes his side are spurred on for Saturday’s return. “We have a great chance on Saturday to take revenge, and that’s what we’ll try to do.” 

The press conference is being talked about quite a bit, largely because of his words and how they link to his reputation as a controversial managerial figure, fuelled mainly by his high-profile outspokenness in press conferences and a shaky relationship with none other than Enzo Maresca.

Back in February 2025, the then Chelsea manager Maresca was asked in his pre-match press conference whether he viewed Hürzeler as a “top manager”, days after the Albion had secured a 2-1 FA Cup victory in an identical clash. He refused to answer, instead singing the praises of his compatriot and Hürzeler’s predecessor Roberto De Zerbi, before ending the conference prematurely.

Fabian refused to play the same games when asked to respond, singing Maresca’s praises instead. But the 3-0 dismantling of The Blues that followed seemed very much like a statement. So, alongside the feeling that Brighton want to atone for missed opportunities on Wednesday night, there could also be a Hürzeler grudge factor, which, if the Arsenal game is anything to go by, could carry quite a bit of weight. 

The Albion head coach admitted in a post-match conference that he is indeed “a bad loser”, and so are a lot of his players.

You’d imagine that a team of bad losers will be hell-bent on getting something out of Saturday’s trip, and his upbeat tone, with the word “revenge” front and centre, suggests that fans could be in for an inspired performance from the Albion back in the rainy city.

While City will see many of their main stars, notably Erling Haaland, back in the side, the return of Ferdi Kadioglu and Chema Andrés, and potentially a bigger involvement from both Mats Wieffer and Yankuba Minteh, who made cameos on Wednesday after returning from injury, could also provide a big Brighton boost. 

While we're liekly to see a fightback from Brighton, a back to full strength City Sqaud wont make it easy. I'm predicting a 1-1 Draw.