Lewis Dunk believes that Brighton has “confidence” heading into their maiden “challenging” Europa League campaign.
Brighton are set to begin their first-ever European campaign after they qualified for the UEFA Europa League at the end of last season, and have been drawn in Group B alongside; Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens.
Seagulls captain, Dunk however belives that Brighton can certainly challenge for knockout qualification as he explained: “It’s a good draw: three challenging games which we are looking forward to, and we can win, because we’ve shown in the Premier League we can beat anyone.
“So we’ll go into Europe with confidence high. The gaffer always demands that we show what we’re about. I know we’ve never been there as a football club. But we’ll go in there holding our heads high, to win games.”
This summer saw Brighton recruit fresh talent in Bart Verbruggen, Mahmoud Dahoud and others amidst departures of top players in Robert Sanchez, Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo.
“We’ve shown over the years that we recruit well,” commented Dunk. “They’ll be a massive boost to the squad.
Ansu Fati has signed on loan from Barcelona whilst Carlos Baleba has joined on a permanent transfer from Lille, with Dunk holding high expectations of their impact upon the team as he added: “They’re two big talents who will bring a lot to this football club.
“They’re going to have to be open-minded and learn off the gaffer like we’ve all done. If they do that they’ll fit in perfectly.”
Fati’s loan switch to Brighton in particular proved the biggest surprise in the final week of this summer’s transfer window.
“Bit mad, eh?” quipped Dunk on playing alongside Barcelona’s youngest goalscorer. “It’s like Europe as well, it’s a bit surreal for Brighton and Brighton fans. Signing players like that is a credit to the club.”
On what it means to finally play European football having spent his career helping Brighton climb the domestic ladder, Dunk said: “It’s taken a lot of hard work, from top to bottom of the football club. Everyone’s been a part of the journey, and everyone’s enjoying the ride.”
Milner Iterates Brighton “has potential” to Impress in Europe
Summer signing, James Milner has played in four major European finals with Liverpool during which he was part of their 2018-19 UEFA Champions League winning squad.
The 37 year-old therefore knows how to win in Europe against “clubs with real European pedigree in the group,” as he iterated that Brighton must be ready for the challenge as he said: “And when we get there we’ll be fully focused and the team has potential to do very well in the competition.
“But we want to do well in all of the competitions.”
Milner echoed Dunk’s sentiments about Brighton’s transfer business but warned that competition will be tough, as he explained: “There is competition for places and we will need that this season with the amount of games.
“Every time anyone gets a chance to play they must play well to stay in the team, and that’s what you want.
“The team doesn’t get weaker. The squad is brimming with talent and players desperate to play.”
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