Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler and captain Lewis Dunk addressed the media today ahead of Thursday’s Europa Conference League qualifier against Tromso at Romssa Arena, scheduled to kick off at 18:00 BST.

Here are the main highlights from Hurzeler’s news conference:

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• New signings Pascal Struijk, Luka Vuskovic, and Promise David could make their first starts.

• Hurzeler remarked on Tromso’s “very impressive” style of play, emphasizing the intensity of their pressing game.

• He encouraged his players to seize the opportunity to qualify for the Conference League: “There’s a big opportunity for us. The boys worked hard through the whole of last season and we went through a lot of highs and lows together, but we always showed resilience. This is the reward and now it’s up to us that we will finish this work by being successful in these two games.”

Meanwhile, Dunk shared his thoughts with reporters:

• Players at the club will cover the cost of tickets for the 407 fans making the journey to northern Norway, along with distributing scarves and t-shirts to traveling supporters.

• He stated: “The fans didn’t know where they were going until the last minute. It’s a long trip for them and last minute to organize. We thought we want to start the season off well for the fans and make a gesture by refunding their tickets as a group. Hopefully the fans appreciate this gesture from the players and it’s a good start to a good season with them and we can all enjoy it along the way.”

• Dunk also minimized the impact of Tromso’s artificial pitch, commenting: “The ball bounces and moves differently to playing on grass, but 80% of the squad probably grew up playing on that. Hopefully, with a bit of water on it, the ball will move quickly.”

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler and captain Lewis Dunk have been speaking to the media before Thursday’s Europa Conference League qualifier against Tromso at Romssa Arena (kick-off 18:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from Hurzeler’s news conference:

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• There could be starts for new signings Pascal Struijk, Luka Vuskovic and Promise David.

• Hurzeler says Tromso’s style of play is “very impressive”, particularly the intense nature of their press.

• He urged his side to take the final step in qualifying for the Conference League: “There’s a big opportunity for us. The boys worked hard through the whole of last season and we went through a lot of highs and lows together, but we always showed resilience. This is the reward and now it’s up to us that we will finish this work by being successful in these two games.”

And Seagulls captain Dunk told reporters:

• The club’s players have paid for a refund of tickets for the 407 fans travelling to the game in northern Norway. Gifts of scarves and t-shirts will also be issued to travelling supporters.

• He said: “The fans didn’t know where they were going until the last minute. It’s a long trip for the them, last minute to organise. We thought we want to start the season off well for the fans and make a gesture by refunding their tickets as a group. “Hopefully the fans appreciate this gesture from the players and it’s a good start to a good season with them and we can all enjoy it along the way.”

• Dunk also played down the significance of Tromso’s artificial pitch, stating: “The ball bounces and moves differently to playing on grass, but 80% of the squad probably grew up playing on that. Hopefully, with a bit of water on it, the ball will move quickly.”

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