Kaunas' opponent: the 'Brighton' club that rose from the brink of bankruptcy to Premier League elite.

2026-10-15 10:11 © AP

A new chapter in history is being turned by the FK "Kauno Žalgiris" football players, who will begin their UEFA Europa Conference League group stage matches on Thursday evening. In the first match, the Żalgiris players will face the English team "Brighton & Hove Albion", competing in the Premier League.

While waiting for the meeting in England, we invite you to get to know the upcoming opponents of the Żalgiris players better.

MORE THAN A CENTURY OF HISTORY. In the city of Brighton, located on the southern coast of England, football history began in 1901 when the "Brighton & Hove Albion" club was established.

Although today "Brighton & Hove Albion" is well known to fans of the English Premier League, for most of its history, the club spent time in lower divisions of English football. The Brighton players first broke into the top tier of English football only in 1979, but after four seasons, they had to say goodbye to the elite division again.

FROM BANKRUPTCY THREAT TO PREMIER LEAGUE. Today, the "Brighton & Hove Albion" team is firmly established in English football, but at the end of the last century, the club's future hung by a thread.

Plagued by financial difficulties, the club was forced to sell its long-term "Goldstone Ground" stadium in 1997, and due to poor results, they found themselves on the brink of relegation from the professional English football league system.

At the end of the 1996–1997 season, the fate of the Brighton players was decided in the last match against "Hereford United". A draw (1:1) allowed "Brighton & Hove Albion" to keep their place in the English Football League, as in case of a loss, the future opponents of the Żalgiris players would have fallen below the third division of the country, which no longer falls within the boundaries of the professional English football league.

The club's revival began at the start of this century – in 2009, businessman Tony Bloom became the main owner of the club, and in 2011, the new "Amex" stadium was opened. Finally, in 2017, after a 34-year break, "Brighton & Hove Albion" returned to the strongest English football league.

HISTORIC DEBUT IN EUROPE. Although the "Brighton & Hove Albion" club has been around for 125 years, it had to wait over a century for its first appearance in UEFA-organized European club tournaments.

The historic ticket to international competitions was earned by Brighton players in the 2022–2023 season, when they finished sixth in the English Premier League, which guaranteed them a place in the group stage of the 2023–2024 UEFA Europa League, where "Brighton & Hove Albion" faced matches against Amsterdam's "Ajax", Marseille's "Olympique", and AEK Athens.

Despite losing in their debut match, the English club quickly proved that they are not an accidental guest on the European stage. The Brighton players finished the group stage with four victories, one draw, and one loss.

Having finished first in the group, "Brighton & Hove Albion" advanced directly to the round of 16, where they met the Italian football giant "Roma". However, the journey ended in this stage – after losing the first match in Rome 0:4, the English managed to achieve a victory at home 1:0, but could not change the overall result.

YOUNG STRATEGIST. Since the summer of 2024, "Brighton & Hove Albion" has been led by German Fabians Hurzeler, who arrived in England after a solid stint in his homeland. Before moving to Brighton, the strategist coached the "St. Pauli" team, which he led to the second-tier German football league title and a spot in the Bundesliga in the 2023–2024 season.

Upon starting work in Brighton, then 31-year-old F. Hurzeler became the youngest permanent head coach in the history of the English Premier League.

STRIKING FACES ON THE PITCH. The current "Brighton & Hove Albion" squad features representatives from various national teams and young players with a promising future.

One of the key players on the team is Dutch national team goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who has been defending the Brighton goal since 2023. In the defense line, the long-time team captain Lewis Dunk stands out, having spent his entire professional career with "Brighton & Hove Albion".

In attack, much is expected from Frenchman Georginio Rutter, who joined the team in the summer of 2024. Another interesting face is the 19-year-old Greek Charalampos Kostoulas, considered one of the most promising young footballers in his country.

In the midfield, notable players include German national team player Pascal Groß, Paraguayan Diego Gómez, and Danish international Matt O'Riley.

IMPRESSIVE SEASON START. As the match against "Kauno Žalgiris" approaches, Brighton players are demonstrating excellent form in the English Premier League.

In the first six championship matches, F. Hurzeler's charges secured four victories, drew once, and suffered one defeat. With 13 points, "Brighton & Hove Albion" currently sits in third place in the league table, trailing only "Manchester City" and London’s "Arsenal".

The impressive form of the Brighton team was also evident in September when they defeated last season's champions "Arsenal" 3:0 at home. Prior to that, "Brighton & Hove Albion" crushed "Coventry City" 5:0 away and defeated "Manchester United" 3:2 in the English League Cup.

In their last match before facing the Żalgiris players, "Brighton & Hove Albion" won 2:0 away against "Sunderland".

HOME FORTRESS. The Thursday match will take place at the "Brighton & Hove Albion" team's home stadium – the "American Express Stadium", which accommodates more than 30 thousand football fans.

The Brighton players have already experienced memorable European nights in this stadium. In the 2023–2024 UEFA Europa League group stage, the "Brighton & Hove Albion" team defeated Amsterdam's "Ajax" and Marseille's "Olympique" at home.

The first confrontation between "Brighton & Hove Albion" and "Kauno Žalgiris" in the main stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League will begin this Thursday at 10:00 PM Lithuanian time.