Graham Potter insists it is largely irrelevant where Brighton accumulate points as he seeks to dampen talk of his team’s wretched home record by beating fellow strugglers Fulham.
Relegation-threatened Albion are yet to toast a Premier League victory at the Amex Stadium this season and have won just one of their past 18 fixtures on home soil dating back to the start of 2020.
The Seagulls currently sit one position and five points better off than the 18th-placed Cottagers, albeit having played a game more, going into Wednesday’s basement battle.
Head coach Potter is acutely aware of the alarming form in Sussex but stressed the bigger picture is more significant as his side bid to secure a major boost in the scrap for survival.
“I would rather us win at home and I would rather not talk about it but it is what it is,” he said.
“There’s nothing for us to do other than to work really hard to change it around.
“Last year (2020) we didn’t win at home apart from the Arsenal game but we still managed to get 41 points (in the 2019-20 season).
“The important thing is to get the points you need. Whether they are home or away, I suppose it doesn’t necessarily matter.
“But I think everybody would say they’d rather win their games at home because that’s where your supporters are, so it’s something we are trying to work towards to change.”
Brighton fans have been absent for the majority of the dismal run due to coronavirus restrictions.
Beating Scott Parker’s side would be welcome relief for the south-coast club and put further breathing space between them and the drop zone.
Albion are chasing a third successive victory in all competitions after building on a top-flight success at Leeds by defeating League One Blackpool in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Potter says the hosts must balance a positive approach to the game with the threat of being picked off on the counter-attack and falling to a damaging defeat.
“If you’re at home, I think there is naturally that long-standing thought that the onus is on you and generally that’s the case,” he said.
“You’ve lost a massive external factor out of the game, which is the crowd, which I think does influence a lot of how the game is played to a certain extent.
“But we’re at home, we want to try and win the game.
“We also know Fulham are very strong playing against that type of thought, so there is a balance required.
“The opponent has qualities, we have qualities. We need to fight to show ours, we need a bit of luck but we’re here to try to win.”
Potter expects to have midfielder Adam Lallana (groin) and striker Aaron Connolly (hamstring) back in his squad following their respective fitness issues, although neither is likely to start.
Injured trio Tariq Lamptey, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Danny Welbeck remain sidelined for the Seagulls.
