Fabian Hurzeler is looking forward to the new experience of festive football in England.

The manager is used to having Christmas off from his time coaching in Germany with the Bundesliga's winter break.

He was speaking to the press ahead of Albion's trip to Fulham on Thursday evening.

The Seagulls have struggled against the Cottagers in recent times, especially at Craven Cottage.

He said: “Yeah, of course, we feel ready.

“It's a new experience for me, it's a new experience for some of my staff members.

“So we are really looking forward to it and I heard it's an intense period, it's a very important period, so we have to be focused.”

On the tricky trip to Fulham, Hurzeler has insisted that he sees the match as an "opportunity" to right the wrongs of the past and get a result.

He added: "They are a very good team, good in possession. They do everything out of compactness and they try to shift and be aggressive.

"It is a very small, tight stadium; the pitch is not the biggest, so it should be quite an intense game."

The festive fixture list will see Albion take on challenges against Leicester City, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Brentford and Aston Villa.

Should the club keep up their current form, then it could see Albion continue to compete for a spot in the Premier League top four.