Who Brighton could face in the Europa League
Roberto De Zerbi's assertion was clear after his Brighton side overcame Southampton 3-1 on Sunday to all but secure a Europa League berth.
The Italian, who replaced Graham Potter as manager last September, has helped the Seagulls into Europe for the first time in their history, but the former Sassuolo boss believes his swashbuckling outfit are now primed to challenge in Europe.
"We will play to win, to show our quality and our style in every competition and we can’t lose our DNA. In Europe if we play against big teams we won’t forget our style," the confident Brighton manager said ahead of next season's continental venture.
While a Europa League berth hasn't mathematically been confirmed, Brighton are three points clear of seventh-place Aston Villa who have just one game left. The Seagulls' vastly superior goal difference means their place in the UEL next season is all but guaranteed.
When does the 2023/24 Europa League start?
The 2023/24 Europa League begins with the qualifying and play-off rounds which start on 10 August and conclude on 31 August.
Brighton, however, have qualified automatically for the group stage which gets underway on 21 September. The Seagulls will learn who their opponents are on 1 September when the group stage draw takes place
Confirmed 2023/24 Europa League teams
While the 2022/23 season is very close to concluding, only a couple of teams have been confirmed as participants in next season's Europa League.
Sporting CP, who beat Arsenal in this season's competition, will finish fourth in the Primeira Liga and have thus qualified, while French Cup winners Toulouse will also be involved.
Those are the only two confirmed group-stage teams, with the winners of the Europa Conference League final between Fiorentina and West Ham set to qualify automatically into the group stages of next season's competition, too.
Who could Brighton face in the Europa League?
With so few teams confirming their place in the 2023/24 Europa League, we can only speculate as to who Brighton could face during their first European venture.
Villarreal and Real Betis are likely to qualify from La Liga, while several big clubs from Serie A could find themselves in the competition including Champions League finalists Inter, Milan, Atalanta and Roma. Fiorentina have a couple of opportunities to secure passage into the competition as they're also in the Coppa Italia final.
Eintracht Frankfurt will qualify if they beat RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal final, with SC Freiburg and Union Berlin fighting it out for the final Champions League spot in the Bundesliga on the final day.
Over in France, Lille, Rennes and Monaco are duelling it out for fourth spot which will guarantee a spot in next season's Europa League. Toulouse have already qualified.
When is the 2023/24 Europa League final?
The 2024 Europa League final has been scheduled for 22 May with the Aviva Stadium in Dublin playing host.