Joel Veltman ready for 'noise' surrounding Chelsea and Graham Potter

Brighton welcome back former manager Graham Potter to the Amex Stadium this Saturday for the first time since the 47-year-old left the club to become head coach at Stamford Bridge.

Veltman said: “We are looking forward to the rest of the games before the World Cup, but we need to focus on Chelsea first. We know there will be a lot of noise around Saturday but Wolves, Aston Villa and Arsenal in the League Cup are just as important.”

Albion are yet to win under Potter’s successor Roberto De Zerbi, with the Italian failing to be victorious in any of his first five games.

In the Seagulls last outing they were defeated 3-1 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, in a game described by Pep Guardiola as ‘one of the toughest’ his side will face this season.

Despite the poor run of results, Veltman feels his side is making good progress under their new boss.

The defender said: “There is still things to work on but we are making progress all the time and we will get there.

“Last Saturday we could have done more in ball possession, which is one of our strengths, but against one of the best sides in Europe we showed a lot of courage though to play through their lines and we created chances.

"We did well out of possession, were compact and created chances."

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

Chelsea and Todd Boehly confirm latest arrival as Brighton talks continue for transfer ace Paul Winstanley

Roberto De Zerbi v Graham Potter: Why both still feel the pressure as Brighton welcome Chelsea

Where Brighton, Chelsea, West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal will finish in the Premier League according to Football Manager 23

Brighton’s goal against the current Premier League champions came through a spectacular Leandro Trossard effort, with the Belgium playmaker drilling a low shot past Ederson for his fourth goal in the De Zerbi reign and his sixth in total this season.

The 27-year-old’s form has caught the attention of a number of Premier League clubs, including Saturday’s opponents, and has also impressed his Dutch teammate.

Veltman said: “He is so confident at the moment and he is scoring out of nowhere like shots from outside the box which is one of his strengths. But a lot of our players are in good form.”