Brighton and Hove Albion boss Fabian Hürzeler has warned his players that they cannot afford to underestimate Wolverhampton Wanderers as the Seagulls look to build upon their flying start to the Premier League campaign.
Albion are due to host bottom club Wolves tomorrow (Saturday 26 August) and currently sit fifth in the table after their 1-0 win at Newcastle last Saturday.
But Brighton’s head coach knows that there is no room for complacency when facing Gary O’Neil’s side at the Amex Stadium.
Wolves have just one point from their eight league fixtures to date and have lost their last six matches in all competitions.
But Hürzeler is aware that appearances can be deceptive with Wolves having faced Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City already.
He told a press conference: “One thing won’t happen: we won’t underestimate Wolverhampton because when you see their games, first of all, they’ve had a really tough schedule, so they’ve had tough games since the beginning of the season.
“And second of all, the truth is that they’ve played well. In every game, they’ve had the chance to win or to get a draw – and that’s why we won’t underestimate them.
“It will be a hard challenge. What I’ve learned, especially from the first games, you can’t underestimate any opponent. Every opponent has quality and you have to pay attention.
“For 90 minutes you have to defend well against them. You have to be good in counter-pressing and you have to make the next step as a team. And that’s the challenge for us.”
Hürzeler’s caution is perhaps well-founded with Wolves having come within seconds of a more-than-credible point against reigning champions Manchester City last Sunday.
They took an early lead before John Stones’s controversial stoppage-time goal condemned them to a 2-1 defeat.
The sides have already met at the Amex Stadium this season, with Brighton winning a Carabao Cup third round tie 3-2 last month.
But Hürzeler is attaching little weight to the recent past as he prepares for the latest challenge.
He said: “I think it’s difficult. It’s a long time ago now. I think there were different players on the pitch – on our side but also on the side for Wolverhampton.”
The Brighton boss has a decision to make over striker Danny Welbeck who left the field at St James’ Park on a stretcher having earlier scored what proved to be the only goal.
Welbeck has returned to training after recovering from a painful back injury but remains sore and is a doubt for the game although Simon Adingra is expected to make the squad.
