Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that defender Adam Webster could return from injury when his side host Manchester City on Wednesday.
City head to the AMEX for their first game since lifting the Premier League trophy on Sunday, following their 1-0 win at home to Chelsea. Pep Guardiola's side were confirmed as champions for a third straight season after Arsenal's defeat at Nottingham Forest on the Saturday.
Brighton enjoyed a weekend of celebrations themselves, with 3-1 win at home to Southampton confirming European football in some form for next season - they need just one point to secure Europa League qualification. And De Zerbi was handed a fresh boost ahead of two big games for the Seagulls, with Webster available in some capacity after missing three games with a muscular injury.
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"Webster can't play 90 minutes but he can come on the bench and one part of the game I think he can play," the Italian said on Tuesday. "Robert [Sanchez], no, he isn't on the bench."
De Zerbi also confirmed that his side will give City a guard of honour in their first game since lifting the trophy, after the same gesture from Chelsea at the Etihad. The Italian has garnered plenty of praise from Guardiola in recent weeks, with the Blues boss insisting in his pre-game press conference that his opposite number is 'one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years.'
And De Zerbi was equally quick to praise Guardiola and his City side, detailing how the Blues boss helped him adapt to English life when he arrived in September.
"Manchester City are in a fantastic moment in terms of mentality and quality of play... but they have been playing like this for seven years," De Zerbi added. "We will play a serious game and give our best. We will play with our style to try and win.
"[Pep] helped me a lot in the first period [in England]. He was very nice with me. [He is] the best coach in the last 30 years."
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