Danny Welbeck could return for Brighton against Brentford after three months out

Posted Friday, December 24, 2021 by PA

Danny Welbeck is poised to end a three-month injury-enforced absence when Brighton welcome Brentford to the Amex Stadium on Boxing Day.

Pascal Gross and Neal Maupay are expected to be available after missing the defeat against Wolves last week but club captain Lewis Dunk will be out until the middle of January at the earliest.

Adam Webster has returned to training after injury and could be in contention if he does not suffer a setback and, while Shane Duffy returns after serving a one-match ban, Yves Bissouma is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Wolves.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney is pushing to return to the starting line-up.

Toney returned to action as a second-half substitute in the Carabao Cup quarter-final loss to Chelsea in midweek after a spell out with coronavirus.

Manager Thomas Frank expects to have much the same squad as Wednesday available with Mathias Jorgensen, Kristoffer Ajer, David Raya and Josh Dasilva still out injured.

Brighton provisional squad: Sanchez, Scherpen, Lamptey, Cucurella, Webster, Duffy, Roberts, Gross, Moder, Lallana, Trossard, Steele, Burn, Veltman, Mac Allister, March, Richards, Maupay, Welbeck, Locadia, Mwepu, Connolly, Alzate, Leonard, Turns, Ferguson.

Brentford provisional squad: Fernandez, Henry, Pinnock, Jansson, Norgaard, Jensen, Mbeumo, Janelt, Canos, Toney, Cox, Thompson, Goode, Roerslev, Stevens, Onyeka, Bidstrup, Forss, Ghoddos, Baptiste, Wissa, Bech Sorenson, Peart-Harris.