The Seagulls head to the London Stadium on Saturday looking to register their first Premier League win of 2020 and the head coach says his players should relish the challenges ahead.
“Mental strength is going to be important," he said. "Anyone at the top level of any sport would tell you how much impact psychology can have. My players wouldn’t have got to this level without having that.
“We’re in an exciting position and fighting in the hardest competition in the world, so this is a wonderful challenge for us. It’s not easy, but you wouldn’t expect it to be.
“We’ve done quite a lot of stuff well but we’re in a tricky situation and we have to stick together to find solutions and that’s what we’ll do.”
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The Hammers sit two places and two points below Potter’s men ahead of Saturday’s contest.
The Albion head coach praised the job done by his opposite number David Moyes, but stressed Albion need to focus on their own fortunes as the season continues.
“David Moyes has done a good job in difficult circumstances. He’s used a few different systems and it’s never easy when you take over a team halfway through the season, but he’s an experienced Premier League manager with a great record. I have a lot of respect for him," said Potter.
“As far as we're concerned, we just have to focus on the next match. Anyone in my role would say exactly the same thing, because that’s all we can affect.
“There’s pressure in every game because it’s the nature of the competition. Everybody wants to win – we can’t worry about the perception of the opposition, we just have to focus on ourselves and be the best we can.”