Marseille vs Brighton: Star Albion player's return from injury one of five changes on historic Europa League night

Albion travel to Marseille looking to bounce back after their first ever Europa League match ended in a 3-2 defeat against AEK Athens.

They are also coming into the game on the back of a 6-1 defeat at Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Versatile German international Gross hasn’t featured for Albion since the defeat against Athens.

He is one of five changes to the team that lost heavily at Villa Park. Tariq Lamptey, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mahmoud Dahoud and Ansu Fati – who scored his first goal for the club at the weekend – have all been named in the starting line-up.

Adam Webster, Billy Gilmour, Jack Hinshelwood and Evan Ferguson drop to the bench but the Seagulls will have to make-do without the newly-injured Pervis Estupinan, who faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Estupinan, 25, has been a key member of this Brighton team and is perhaps the only natural left back in the squad. The Ecuador international was withdrawn at halftime at Aston Villa and it’s now clear that it’s injury related rather than tactical.

De Zerbi said: “Estupinan is injured and he can't play for a long time. He's an important player we are losing. We can play in that position with [Tariq] Lamptey, Igor [Julio].”

According to Andy Naylor from the Athletic, the Italian added: “One month, more or less. Muscular injury.”

Brighton XI: Steele, Lamptey, van Hecke, Dunk, Veltman, Dahoud, Gross, March, Mitoma, Fati, Welbeck.

Subs: Verbruggen, Igor, Webster, Joao Pedro, Gilmour, Baleba, Adingra, Ferguson, McGill, Buonanotte, Hinshelwood.