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Stadion Strelnice, Jablonec nad Nisou
Thursday 22 October, 5:45pm BST (6:45pm local time)
Jablonec host Brighton on Thursday as the visitors begin a run of five away games in 16 days, with Fabian Hurzeler hoping to continue his side's strong momentum into a difficult period.
Kick-off at Stadion Strelnice is 5:45pm UK time (6:45pm local), with the two sides set to play their second Conference League games of the season, and a victory for Brighton would be their second in the competition, while it would condemn the hosts to a second defeat.
Jablonec vs Brighton preview and form guide
Jablonec reached the league phase by an unusual route, promoted into European competition when Karvina were excluded by UEFA, and then beat Varazdin, RFS Riga and Rangers to get there.
The Rangers tie went to penalties after finishing 1-1 on aggregate, with Vakhtang Tchanturishvili's 73rd-minute goal winning the home leg and Jan Chramosta scoring the decisive kick in a 4-3 shoot-out.
Their league-phase opener unfortunately ended in a 3-2 defeat against Freiburg, and while the scoreline suggests that the game was close, the German victors were by far the better team, and could have easily scored more.
It should also be noted that Jablonec lost 3-2 against Viktoria Plzen on Sunday in the Czech top flight, and that was their third loss in their last six games in all competitions.
Jablonec currently find themselves seventh in their domestic league with 17 points from 11 games, but though they are only three points from second-placed Slovan Liberec, they are 10 points from first-placed Slavia Prague.
The hosts' record at home in recent weeks has been far from perfect, with the club only emerging as victors in one of their past four clashes at Stadion Strelnice.
Hurzeler's side go to the Czech Republic having beaten Crystal Palace 5-0 at the weekend, a result that capped a run of six wins in all competitions.
Their Conference League opener perhaps demonstrated the might of the Premier League, with the Seagulls producing 35 shots during their 4-0 victory against Kauno Zalgiris, while they only faced four attempts themselves.
Georginio Rutter scored twice that night, with both goals created by Ibrahim Osman, and that partnership will likely have to be relied upon again due to the injuries Hurzeler is dealing with in his squad.
The visitors have won each of their last three away games, beating Sunderland and Coventry City in the Premier League, as well as Manchester United in the EFL Cup.
Brighton are currently third in the Premier League table with 16 points, and they have already beaten Arsenal in the top flight, while they rank as the division's highest scorers with 23 goals, four more than Manchester City.
Brighton's only previous history in European competitions came in 2023-24, when they successfully reached the Europa League's round of 16, before suffering a 4-1 aggregate defeat against Roma.
Jablonec vs Brighton team news and predicted lineups
Jablonec team news
Jablonec are without Kevin-Prince Milla and Lamin Jawo, which leaves Antonin Rusek as the likely lone striker, with Chramosta and Filip Vecheta the alternatives if Jan Kozel wants a more traditional centre-forward.
Kozel is expected to keep Martin Cedidla at right-back, while Matej Polidar could drop out of the lineup in favour of Garang Kuol, who came on from the bench against Freiburg and scored.
One possible midfield pair could be Nelson Okeke and Richard Sedlacek, while Jiri Slama is expected to feature at left-back, with Jan Hanus in goal.
Jablonec predicted lineup vs Brighton
Hanus; Cedidla, Tekijaski, Pavlovic, Slama; Okeke, Sedlacek; Alioum, Tchanturishvili, Polidar; Rusek
Brighton team news
The injury list for Brighton is extensive, with Evan Ferguson, Stefanos Tzimas, Kaoru Mitoma, Yankuba Minteh, Femi Azeez and Zadok Yohanna all unavailable, and their absences place significantly more pressure on the likes of Rutter and Charalampos Kostoulas.
Hurzeler is expected to rotate his side from the one that beat Palace, with players such as Costinha, Michael Svoboda, Jack Hinshelwood and Matt O'Riley candidates to come back into the lineup.
Hinshelwood has scored in each of Brighton's last two games, against Kauno Zalgiris and Crystal Palace, and he is expected to start in the number 10 role behind Rutter.
Costinha is likely to start at right-back in order to give Ferdi Kadioglu a rest, while Svoboda may return to the backline to partner Lewis Dunk in the middle of a back four.
Brighton predicted lineup vs Jablonec
Verbruggen; Costinha, Svoboda, Dunk, Boscagli; Gross, O'Riley; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Osman; Rutter
Jablonec vs Brighton head-to-head record
Thursday's clash will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs, so perhaps the hosts will be able to surprise their English opponents.
Jablonec may be able to take confidence from the fact they are considerably more experienced in continental competitions given they have competed in the group or league phase of a UEFA tournament three times since 2018-19.
Brighton have only played five away games in Europe in their history, winning twice, losing once and drawing twice, with their most recent away outing on the continent their 0-0 stalemate with Tromso in August.
Our Jablonec vs Brighton prediction and tips
Odds correct as of Tuesday, 20 October 2026, 3:35pm BST.
- Georginio Rutter to score after two goals on matchday one, both set up by Osman
- Pascal Gross to add the second from midfield
- Bart Verbruggen to keep a clean sheet following strong displays from Brighton's defence in recent weeks
Lewis is an avid writer and football fan, with years of experience working as a freelance journalist across text, audio and video.
As a Liverpool supporter, Lewis has frequently covered the club of his heart, though he has also branched out considerably, interviewing and writing about personalities across the football sphere.