Graham Potter believes a test against Manchester United will offer an opportunity for his players to show the progress made under his charge over the past six weeks.
The Chelsea head coach was appointed to the job in early September and has overseen an unbeaten run of seven matches, including five consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.
Yet the visit of the fifth-placed Red Devils represents the toughest domestic challenge so far, with Erik ten Hag’s side having won nine of their past 12 matches.
‘It’s a really important game for us, an exciting game and one we’re really looking forward to,’ admitted Potter. ‘Because of the opponent. it will give us a good piece of information in terms of where we’re at and where we need to go.
‘That’s part of the process we have to go through so in that regard we’re really looking forward to it. We’ve picked up points in the Premier League and there have been lots of positives but there is still lots to do to improve as well. It’s exciting but we’ll be tested.’
Potter has already orchestrated a victory over Ten Hag’s United this season while Brighton boss, a 2-1 win at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign, but he believes the Dutchman has made plenty of progress in implementing his ideas over recent weeks.
There are also noticeable differences in how this evening’s opponents are playing, with Potter highlighting one player in particular as their key man in attack.
‘They’ve changed a little bit in terms of how they build up, a bit more direct and longer balls, but at the same time they still have the same quality with the threats of [Marcus] Rashford, Antony, and [Jadon] Sancho,’ he explained.
‘Bruno Fernandes plays a key role for them so there’s a lot of similarities but they just seem to have adapted to the competition and to each other, probably learning more about each other.
‘I’d been at Brighton for three years when we played and Erik had been at Man United for six weeks so there’s a lot of learning you need to do and a process you need to go through, which is normal really. They have the quality so it’s natural they will get better and better as time goes on.’