Sunderland face Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League this weekend.

Brighton and Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler has admitted that he and his side are expecting a tough challenge when they face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this weekend, despite the Black Cats crashing out of the FA Cup at the hands of lower league Port Vale last time out.

Regis Le Bris’ men suffered a sobering blow on Sunday afternoon, falling victim to an upset at Vale Park on a difficult playing surface. That result means that Sunderland’s sole focus is now the remainder of their top flight campaign, with the newly promoted side having recently crossed the 40-point threshold courtesy of a narrow 1-0 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road.

And speaking in a pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s trip to the North East, Hurzeler admitted that he sees the Black Cats’ unexpected cup exit as a blip, rather than any kind of broader indication as to where they currently find themselves.

What did Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler say about Sunderland?

Addressing the media, when asked if he watched Sunderland loss against Port Vale, he said: “Yeah, we watched it and we tried to get the right conclusions out of it, but I think it's very difficult to compare an FA Cup game with a Premier League game. Therefore, we expect a completely different opponent. We expect a loud stadium, we expect an opponent with a lot of self-confidence because they've played a really good season so far, and that's a big challenge we try to face.”

Hurzeler was also asked whether he felt Brighton - sitting on 37 points and nine clear of the bottom three - are in any kind of relegation danger, to which he responded: “I think it's not about watching the table, it's really going game for game. We have nine games left, we should focus on our performances. Regarding the performances, we're definitely on the right way.

“Tomorrow it's a different challenge in a different environment to show again that we can bring the standards, the highest standards on the pitch, that we can do the basic things right. This will be another opportunity tomorrow where we have to focus on us, focus on performing well, and then we will get the results we deserve.”

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What did Regis Le Bris say about Sunderland’s FA Cup defeat vs Port Vale?

For his part, Sunderland head coach Le Bris also reflected on his side’s FA Cup defeat during a press conference of his own on Thursday, emphasising the lessons that he wants his squad to learn from the setback.

He said: “[It was] Disappointing, a bit embarrassing, to be fair. This week reflects our journey this season, I think. After three defeats in a row, the last one at home against Fulham, where we picked up four injuries in the same game, we earned a good point at Bournemouth, a tough place, really intense, they were on a good run. Then we went to Leeds. Survival was the key word in this game, and Elland Road is also a tough place, and we found a way to win, once again, and it was a well-deserved three points.

“After that, consistency is key, and against Port Vale, obviously the pitch levelled everything, so it was more about desire, fighting spirit, and we lacked, clearly, those foundations. So it's sad, because we missed a big opportunity to go further. We showed before at Everton and Oxford [United] that we were able to do that, but we didn't repeat. So with the players, we were tough, but it is what it is. You have to take the lesson and go further.”

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