Hurzeler on Rutter's fitness, Azeez availability and Ayari's form

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Coventry City at the Coventry Building Society Arena (14:00 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference: Hurzeler gave a fitness update on Georginio Rutter, who has missed the last two games with a foot problem: "He should be close. He had a small setback but he is on the pitch now and he is hopefully available for the weekend if nothing goes wrong." And on new signing Femi Azeez, who arrived at the club with a minor hamstring problem and is yet to make his debut: "Also regarding him, I hope he will be an option. He will definitely change the squad. Hopefully everything is fine and hopefully he will be an option for the weekend." Hurzeler added that he expects Karou Mitoma to return from his long-term problem "more after the international break". Young forward Zadok Yohanna has a small issue and won't be involved until after the international break. On his comments after Saturday's draw against Leeds saying his side lacked intensity in the first half: "There are several reasons. We discuss it internally and reflect honestly with the players. It's not about blaming each other, it's about finding solutions. There are several ways we analyse it and hopefully we can change it for the next game." He was asked about reports midfielder Yasin Ayari is close to signing a new contract: "You always want to solve these issues internally before talking to the public. Yasin is a great player who has had great development for us over the last two years. He has grown as a player, a personality, he takes more risks. I'm very happy to work with these kind of players and hopefully he stays for a long time." On the challenge posed by Coventry: "A tough opponent. They played really well against Manchester City and created a lot of chances. They look compact and didn't give away many chances. They are having a good process. We have to focus on us to play for 90 minutes with a lot of energy and intensity." Hurzeler praised Maxime De Cuyper's fine start to the season: "Now he pays more regular, in a different position. He came as a full-back and I think will also be a really good full-back but now he plays more as a winger. Also as a winger he can help us with his creativity, with his left foot, with his good understanding of the game, with his good understanding also in pressing." On Sky Blues goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, who spent seven years as a Brighton player but was loaned out six times and did not make a senior appearance: "When Carl was here I knew he gave everything for the club. As a player of course you want to play and make the next step but he acted really well when he was here and I wish him all the best with Coventry." Listen to live commentary of Coventry v Brighton on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news Got a question about Brighton? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts [BBC]