Brighton and Hove Albion were held to a goalless draw by Czech side FK Jablonec in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday 22 October 2026. The club’s own match report says Albion had 79 per cent of the possession and 23 shots, with only five on target, and that they stretched their unbeaten run to eight games. It was head coach Fabian Hürzeler’s 100th game in charge.
Result. FK Jablonec 0, Brighton and Hove Albion 0.
Competition. UEFA Conference League, league phase, second match.
Attendance. 6,114, including 1,062 Albion fans.
Referee. Sigurd Kringstad.
Next match. Liverpool away in the Premier League on Sunday 25 October 2026, at 2pm.
Eight changes from the Palace win
Albion made eight changes from Sunday’s 5-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. The team that started was Verbruggen, Costinha, Hadjam, Boscagli, Svoboda, Yalcouye, Hinshelwood, Gross, Osman, Rutter and O’Riley. Kadioglu replaced Hadjam in the 86th minute, and Vuskovic, David, Ayari and Chema came on in the 68th for Boscagli, Hinshelwood, Gross and O’Riley. The unused substitutes were McGill, Hall, Dunk, Kostoulas, Oriola, Nti and Ibrahim.
How the game went
According to the club’s report, Albion took control early but, as in their home game a week earlier, the opposition’s low block proved hard to break down. Hinshelwood and captain Pascal Gross had early chances, Ibrahim Osman shot a yard off target, and Costinha missed a free header from a Gross corner after the Jablonec goalkeeper, Jan Hanus, failed to reach it. Georginio Rutter was Albion’s main threat, but shot straight at Hanus after one turn and wide of the far post after another.
Albion raised the tempo after the break. The report says Malick Yalcouye put the ball in the net from a Gross through ball but was marginally offside, and Osman’s shot later flew into the visiting fans. Jablonec had chances on the break late on. Antonin Rusek, through on goal, lifted his shot into Bart Verbruggen’s hands, Verbruggen turned a Slama effort over the bar at full stretch, and eight minutes from time substitute Dominik Holly beat Verbruggen but clipped the top of the crossbar. Rutter’s late effort was blocked.
What Hürzeler said
Hürzeler told the club’s website, in his post-match interview, “We didn’t play at our highest level”. He said Jablonec defended well, that a 0-0 means his side did not create enough, and that Albion must be “brilliant at the basics” in this competition and were not. He said the team had a lot of possession, crosses and play around the box but lacked precision in the final action.
He said Jablonec, who the club say are seventh in the Czech league, had changed formation and played with a back five, unlike in their recent games against Glasgow Rangers and Freiburg, and that Albion had not expected them to defend so deep. He said it was important to take lessons from the game into the next one.
What the draw means
The club says Albion failed to score for the first time this season. The draw stretched their unbeaten run to eight games. Four league phase matches remain in the Conference League.
What happens next
Albion travel to Anfield for the Premier League game against Liverpool on Sunday 25 October. Liverpool say it was moved from Saturday because of Albion’s qualification for the Conference League, and that it will be shown on Sky Sports in the UK.
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