Unai Emery is wary of in-form Brighton & Hove Albion as he approaches his second Premier League game in charge of Aston Villa.
The head coach’s debut in the dugout ended in a thrilling 3-1 victory against Manchester United at Villa Park last weekend.
Emery knows Sunday’s trip to the Amex Stadium will present another tough test for his team given their opponent’s strong recent results under new manager Roberto de Zerbi.
He said: “Brighton are playing very well; they are working together with the same idea and style.
“They changed the coach but the players are in a good way with a lot of confidence. They are playing very good matches.
“It’s a challenge for us but I like to have challenges in front like on Sunday because I think the only way to improve and show our capacity to get good results is to play against good teams with good players.”
During his first two matches in charge, both against Manchester United, Emery has utilised 19 players as he assesses the squad at his disposal.
The 51-year-old has been impressed with what he’s seen thus far and is now keen to improve on Villa’s away record in the top flight, with the club one of four teams yet to win on their travels.
“They are really good players with the mentality to work,” he said.
“They are so attentive every day, tactically. We haven’t had a lot of days to work because we arrived one week ago, but they are very open to listening to everything we are giving them.
“In those two matches there were a lot more positive things than negative.
“The next step is clear for us: the challenge is to be competitive away from home. The consequence is that it will give us three points.”