Brighton boss Graham Potter admits he will have to get creative as he battles an injury and Covid crisis.
The Seagulls face Wolves on Wednesday without all three of their senior centre-halves, Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster and Shane Duffy, and have at least three positive Covid tests among the squad.
Jeremy Sarmiento, Danny Welbeck, Steven Alzate and Adam Lallana are also on the sidelines, leaving Potter with plenty of gaps to plug.
“We’re probably used to players to be playing in slightly different positions, or unorthodox positions,” he said.
“I’ve always thought that if you’ve got injuries or problems it’s not about complaining about them. They are part of the game, they are what they are, you have to use your creativity within the group to look for a different solution.
“We haven’t got another Lewis Dunk or another Shane Duffy, in terms of attributes, but we can maybe use other players in a creative way to help us do the same things.
“That’s to try to be solid defensively, to have an organisation defensively, to have a clarity in terms of how we’re pressing or where defending. It’s important to have that.
“It’s a test at the moment, but there’s an opportunity for the boys who have been desperate to play and want to help the team. We’re excited for that.”
Potter is considering handing youngster Haydon Roberts a Premier League debut.
The 19-year-old defender has only featured in the Carabao Cup so far this season, having spent last year on loan with Rochdale in League Two.
“He’s been training with us all season,” added Potter. “We understand his qualities and he’s got a nice future ahead of him. Obviously he’s still learning and developing. But he’s in contention.”
Leandro Trossard and Joel Veltman, who both came off in the 1-1 draw against Southampton last week, are available.
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