Brighton midfielder set for return to team against Fulham

The midfielder was suspended for the clash against Southampton due to his controversial red card in the 2-1 win over Bournemouth.

Baleba, 20, was shown a second yellow card against the Cherries for a foul on Milos Kerkez.

Manager Fabian Hurzeler initial thoughts suggested that the dismissal should have been rescinded due to the soft second booking.

But now the suspension has been served Baleba should be a shoo-in for the team against the Cottagers.

The Cameroonian will have benefitted from having an extra rest due to his absence against the Saints.

This will be a huge boost to Hurzeler as Baleba's physicality could help Albion dominate in the midfield.

With Tom Cairney, Sasa Lukic, and Harrison Reed all out of the match, the Cottagers will rely on Sander Berge.

The Norwegian, like Baleba, has a huge physical presence in the midfield, and if he can be controlled, then it could be a winning recipe for Albion.

So far this season, Baleba has made ten appearances in the Premier League, scoring once and assisting once.

His impressive performances have not gone unnoticed with the national media linking him with moves to the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool.

Baleba has already spoken about his future and shown his commitment to Albion by claiming he just wants to "help" the club.

He went as far as to say that interest from "big clubs" is not something that gets him "excited".

He told Sky Sports: "I don't really think like that: playing for two or three years and then leaving.

"Me? I just work. In my head, it's all about working and helping my club.

"If I can help a team-mate, I will. If they can help me, I'll accept that help to push forward and develop.

"So I just work to help my team and for myself, to progress for the future.

"In return, everyone who helps me wants me to go to the highest level. And if there are big clubs who want me, it's not something that worries me or gets me excited. I just need to work hard and keep a cool head.

"I don't know if I'm going to be the star or the next big thing. For me, being the star is quite a lot. Everyone talking about you, singing your name? That just doesn't do it for me.

"It's not something that gets me running. I just prefer getting my head down and working on the pitch."

Back in August, former Albion defender Adam Virgo sang the praises of Baleba and suggested he is a similar player to Premier League and Champions League winner N'Golo Kante rather than Moises Caicedo.

He told BBC Sussex: "I covered Lille on the first game of the season and he started in midfield around two players who are around the age of 31, 32 and he did all of their running for them.

"He covers the ground remarkably well.

"Physically he'll have to adjust to the Premier league and the biggest thing he'll have to adjust to is the pace compared to Ligue 1, but he's a really exciting signing.

"I see this week in week out in France, it's the best league for young talent to be unearthed.

"For me, he's not a Caicedo, he's not like that at all. For me he's more like an N'Golo Kante, in terms of his power and his pace to get around, he covers so much ground."