Brighton and Hove Albion are eager to make their Premier League debut against Manchester City on Saturday and while the newly promoted South-Coast based club will relish this chance there will be no party atmosphere at the Amex stadium, said captain Bruno Saltor.
“They have top players, but it is just 11 v 11 on the pitch and we need them to be uncomfortable,” the Spaniard told the club’s website.
“If they want to get something here, then they have to show their quality. If not, then we’re going to be ready to get the three points.
“We know it’s going to be a special day because it’s the first Premier League game at the Amex, and the first Premier League game for the club. But it’s not a party for us and we need to win.”
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Bruno, 36, also had words of praise for fellow Spaniard and opposition manager Pep Guardiola who won a whopping 21 trophies in the span of 7 years, first with Barcelona in Spain and then with Bayern Munich in Germany before deciding to try his luck in England.
“For me, he is a brilliant manager because of his personality; he wants to play his football and doesn’t want to change,” Bruno said.
“That shows a lot of personality and character. When you also have the players he has, that makes it a massive challenge for us. It’s going to be a tough game.”
Pep Guardiola will be hoping that his side do not start the season on the wrong foot. The Spanish manager has had a rather fruitful summer and managed to sign almost all of his concrete targets bar Alexis Sanchez.
He has completely revamped the list of his defenders and broke the record for the most expensive defender twice in the same window in the form of Kyle Walker from Spurs and Benjamin Mendy from French Champions AS Monaco. Having also signed Bernardo Silva, Goalkeeper Ederson and Danilo, Pep will be optimistic about his chances going into the start of the season.
The players seemed to have gelled well in pre-season and are adapting themselves to the managers set up.
Brighton and Hove are making a return to the top flight for the first time in 34 years but their Stadium and the structure at the club will you give you sense that this where they belong. They will indeed be hoping to provide Pep with some thought provoking scares and start their life in England’s top league with a bang.
