Head coach Roberto De Zerbi of Brighton & Hove Albion has stated that James Milner will be available to play his former side Manchester City in a Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The 37-year-old, who spent five years at Manchester City and made over 200 appearances between 2010 and 2015, joined Brighton on a free transfer from Liverpool in the summer.
Milner has played six games for the Seagulls in all competitions this season, primarily as a right-back, but he has missed the last five due to a muscle injury.
De Zerbi, on the other hand, has stated that the seasoned Englishman is “available to play” against Man City this weekend, despite the fact that Brighton will be missing four players for the trip to the Etihad.
Indeed, full-backs Tariq Lamptey and Pervis Estupinan have been ruled out due to injury, while Julio Enciso and Jakub Moder are still out with long-term knee injuries, but the latter is nearing a return after participating in training.
While Lamptey and Estupinan both missed the 2-2 tie with Liverpool before the international break, Moder has been out for 18 months with a serious ACL injury.
“James Milner is available to play, to start the game,” De Zerbi stated during a press conference on Friday. Pervis Estupinan and Tariq Lamptey have both been wounded. Jakub Moder has begun working with the ensemble, which is fantastic news for him.”
“When a player misses a year due to injury, you have to think about human things,” De Zerbi said of Moder. We want to assist Jakub with his return. I believe he has the potential to be useful to us.
“We play a lot of games after January and he can be a big player.”
De Zerbi has also verified that Pascal Gross is fit and eligible for selection after representing Germany in friendly against the United States and Mexico; the 32-year-old recovered from a muscular problem shortly before the international break.
Brighton travel to the Etihad Stadium this weekend hoping to stop a four-game winless streak in all competitions, but De Zerbi expects a “tough challenge” from reigning Premier League winners Man City.
“It’s extremely difficult to prepare for a game against City.” It’s the most difficult game, and they want to keep the ball like we do. “It’s a difficult task,” De Zerbi remarked.
In response to Pep Guardiola’s glowing compliments, De Zerbi stated, “Pep is the best coach in the world.” He’s a reference not only for myself, but for many coaches around the world, and I love hearing him talk about me.
“It’s an honour, but we’re not yet a large team.” We have a lot of passion, and we need to express that this season.”
Brighton, who are now sixth in the Premier League table and two points behind Man City in third, have lost their last nine league meetings with the Citizens, including a 3-1 loss at the Etihad last season.
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