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Thursday 4 October 2018 11:50, UK
Manager Chris Hughton hopes the return of Jose Izquierdo will see Brighton return to winning ways ahead of their Premier League clash against West Ham at the Amex Stadium on Friday night.
The 26-year-old Colombian is expected to feature against the Hammers after recovering from a knee problem which has seen him make just one league appearance this season.
Brighton's only league win so far came against Manchester United in August, and Hughton is hoping Izquierdo can provide a creative spark.
"It's good to have him back, he's missed all of pre-season but played 45 minutes of an under-23 game last week," Hughton said.
"He's a player that's given us goals last season and it's very, very welcome to have him back.
"West Ham have hit form, and that's no surprise, it was only going to be a matter of time."
Since joining Brighton in 2017, Izquierdo has five goals and three assists in 33 Premier League appearances.
Izquierdo scored in both games against West Ham last season as Brighton completed the double over the east Londoners.
Hughton is delighted to see him return to the squad but knows this is a completely different situation.
"You can't expect or think as though you'll have any repeat of what happened last year, but of course we want to win and will chase that, especially in our home games," he said.
"Jose certainly did well in those matches last year, and it's great to have him back. But again these are different circumstances.
"We do know though what we have to do to get results, against any team really, and we have to get back to those types of levels.
"What we will have to get back to being is having those moments to be clinical again. We expect nothing less than a really tough game against West Ham, but if we can get back to good form it gives us a chance."
The same fixture last season resulted in a 3-1 victory for Brighton in the Premier League's 10,000th match.
