This evening’s Carabao Cup tie on the south coast is Albion’s second of three in an eight-day period, and the boss spoke about the importance of rotating the group to keep gathering information about his side.
He said, “We’re always digging deep into the squad to see if there are some surprises.
“We’re just at the start of working with the group, by that I mean the under-23 group as well, the whole squad.
“The more information we get the better for us, that’s how we’ll look at the game. It’s a competitive environment in which we find ourselves here and you need players to push one another every single day.
“It’s healthy, we have a real respect throughout the team and it helps players reach their maximum level.”
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Midfielder Yves Bissouma got his first minutes of the new campaign against Newcastle United at the weekend, and Potter revealed that the Malian would play a part against Dean Smith’s side this evening.
“Yves Bissouma is another who’ll play, it will be a good game for him to get time on the pitch,” the boss continued.
“He has a bit of shot on him and he has the qualities to bring goals from the right areas of the pitch, you can see his ability and you can tell he’s a free player who can excite the crowd.”
Another face who is making their way back from long-term injury is full-back Ezequiel Schelotto, and Potter praised the character and determination of the Argentinian.
“Schelotto is itching to play, he’s been brilliant in terms of how quickly he’s got back into the fold – in six months he’s recovered from an ACL injury.
“It’s incredible and all credit to him for the work he’s done, we now have to be very careful at this stage.
“He wants to play, and we want him to as well, but after all the work he’s done we have to make sure that he goes onto the pitch in the safest way he can.”