Could AFCON shape Brighton’s pivotal festive run? | OneFootball

AFCON arrives as Brighton enter a pivotal festive run. Nine points are on offer against Sunderland on Saturday, Arsenal on 27 December and West Ham a little over 72 hours later, shaping Fabian Hurzeler’s position in the table before the January window.

According to NY Times, the schedule is different this year, with only one Boxing Day game, Manchester United vs Newcastle, and AFCON running from 21 December to 18 January in Morocco.

Carlos Baleba is Hurzeler’s only AFCON absentee. The midfielder has been below his best, though he showed improvement in the 4-3 loss to Aston Villa in late November. His absence compounds Diego Gomez’s one-match ban for Sunderland after a fifth booking in the 2-0 defeat at Liverpool, with captain Lewis Dunk also suspended.

Cameroon’s group games on 24, 28 and 31 December mean he will miss Arsenal and West Ham. If they progress, he could also miss Burnley on 3 January, Manchester City on 7 January, Manchester United on 11 January and Bournemouth on 19 January.

Sunderland are hit harder by AFCON. Regis Le Bris loses six players, though Habib Diarra could feature before leaving for Senegal. Simon Adingra was omitted by Ivory Coast, and Noah Sadiki will be missing.

Arsenal have no AFCON absentees in their first team. West Ham will be without full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf while they are with DR Congo and Senegal, with Kyle Walker-Peters and Oliver Scarles providing cover. Igor Julio cannot face his parent club.

Source: NY Times