Brighton welcome Tromsø to the Amex on Thursday for the second leg of their Conference League play-off, the tie level at 0-0 after a frustrating first leg in Norway.
Fabian Hürzeler’s side have since returned to domestic action with a thumping 4-0 win over Aston Villa, a result that offers a sharp contrast to their laboured performance in the Arctic Circle.
Tromsø arrive more than halfway through their Eliteserien season, a fitness advantage that showed in the first leg despite Brighton’s territorial dominance. The Norwegian side reached this stage by beating CFR Cluj 7-1 on aggregate after dropping down from Europa League qualifying, and currently sit third in their domestic table.
Brighton, chasing a repeat of Crystal Palace’s Conference League triumph last season, know any win at the Amex will be enough to progress to the competition’s league phase.
Brighton vs Tromsø – Match preview and team news
Date: Thursday, 27 August 2026
Kick-off: 19:30 BST
Venue: American Express Stadium
Referee: Sander van der Eijk
Aggregate: 0-0 (first leg: Tromsø 0-0 Brighton)
Team news
Brighton & Hove Albion
Yankuba Minteh remains out with a leg injury expected to keep him sidelined for two to three months, and Evan Ferguson (ankle) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee) are also unavailable. Carlos Baleba has not been considered fit enough to feature and continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United. Pascal Struijk, back in training after managing an unspecified issue, could be in contention to feature for the first time this season.
Tromsø
There are no fresh injury concerns for the Norwegian side ahead of the second leg. Tromsø were able to field a settled XI in the first leg and are expected to do the same at the Amex. Their squad’s greater match sharpness, a product of being well into their domestic season, remains their main advantage against Premier League opposition.
Form
Brighton & Hove Albion
Hürzeler’s side put in a below-par attacking display in Norway but responded in style domestically, thrashing Aston Villa 4-0 with all four goals arriving inside the opening 31 minutes. Jack Hinshelwood scored twice in that game and will look to carry his form into Thursday’s second leg. The head coach has stressed his side must be sharper in possession than they were in the first leg.
Tromsø
Tromsø’s resilience away from home was the standout feature of the first leg, restricting a dominant Brighton side to a goalless draw and nearly snatching a late winner themselves. They head into the second leg on the back of a 3-2 domestic defeat to Molde before the trip to Norway, but their overall form this season has been described as red-hot. A repeat of their compact, disciplined shape from the first leg is expected.
Predicted lineups
Brighton & Hove Albion predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Kadıoğlu, Vuskovic, Dunk, De Cuyper; Ayari, Groß; Osman, Gómez, Rutter; Hinshelwood
Tromsø predicted XI (5-3-2): Haugaard; Warneryd, Tønnessen, Skjaervik, Vådebu, Dahlqvist; Olden Larsen, Jenssen, Edvardsson; Åsen Larsen, Nyhammer
How to watch Brighton vs Tromsø?
The match will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports, with coverage also available to stream on discovery+.
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