Kaoru Mitoma is available for Brighton and Hove Albion’s trip to Brentford tomorrow (Saturday 19 April) having recovered from a heel injury.
The 27-year-old missed the 2-2 draw at home to Leicester City last weekend, a result that dented head coach Fabian Hürzeler’s hopes of leading the Seagulls into Europe in his first season in charge.
It was the first time that the Japan international had been absent this season and underlined his importance to the side.
Brighton twice surrendered the lead against their relegation-bound opponents to miss the chance to close the gap on the Premier League’s top seven.
Despite having taken only two points from their past four league games, Hürzeler was upbeat as he prepared for the Easter trip to Brentford.
He said: “The big word today is positivity. One thing is very positive – Kaoru is back. JP (Jan Paul van Hecke) is back.
“And we have a lot of rehab players or players who are in the end stage of the rehab and start training next week.
“That’s a big positive message for all of us and therefore the word for Easter is positivity.”
There was more good news for Brighton fans as Hürzeler said that “there is a chance” that long-term absentees James Milner and Ferdi Kadioglu could feature again this season.
The draw with Leicester leaves Brighton needing a strong finish as well as for teams above them to drop points if they are to qualify for Europe for the second time in three seasons.
Seventh place will almost certainly be a Conference League qualifying spot but, with six points to make up to catch Aston Villa, currently occupying that place, it’s a tough task.
The run of four games without a win in the league could not have come at a worse moment but Hürzeler believes that his players have responded well.
He said: “During the training week I see big reactions from everyone. I see players who work really hard. We always try to show reactions of course at the game.
“And it’s important that you don’t try to force it, that you try to enjoy it, that you try to stay relaxed.
“Because I think when you get in these emotions where you try to force it then you’re not good at making decisions.
“It’s really important, of course, to want to show a reaction as a team but also try to enjoy it and try to stay relaxed.”
Brentford boss Thomas Frank said that Aaron Hickey was close to a comeback after a 20-month absence through injury
Scotland full-back Hickey has been sidelined since August 2023 because of a hamstring problem which required two operations.
The 22-year-old, who recently signed a new three-year contract, has got some B team games under his belt and could return before the end of the season.
Frank was for once able to give a fitness update, saying that Brazilian striker Igor Thiago is also nearly back in contention.
The frontman missed the first three months of the season with a knee injury and has been out since December with a joint infection.
Meanwhile, Rico Henry, Mathias Jensen and Gustavo Nunes got run-outs for the B team in a 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on Monday.
Frank told the pre-match press conference: “Everyone is available that was available last week. A few players got some valuable minutes playing on Monday – Rico, Mathias and Gustavo, among others.
“Also, Igor Thiago is getting closer and Aaron Hickey is getting closer, so it all looks good.”
Frank believes that Brentford need a win tomorrow to stand any chance of keeping their European ambitions alive.
The Dane said: “We have plenty to aim for still. The simple one to aim for is to just finish as high as possible – and everything is still there for us.
“A top-10 finish would be fantastic for the club. Everyone is speaking about Europe and that’s tough.
“If we want any ambition about that, we need to win on Saturday, against a team that also needs to win on Saturday. It’s going to be a good game.”
