Albion face St Gallen in their opening pre-season friendly in Switzerland tomorrow (1pm).

Who are they and what sort of opposition will they provide for Chris Hughton's squad?

Andy Naylor got the answers from Ruben Schönenberger, who lives in and supports St Gallen, follows Albion and writes for Swiss football magazine SENF.

Tell us a bit about the history of the club?

FC St Gallen was founded in 1879. It is the oldest still existing club in Switzerland and in the whole of mainland Europe.

Tradition and history are very important for the club and fans. Especially as the club haven't won many trophies.

But fans don't really expect to win, fighting spirit is what counts. The constant misfortune is even applauded.

What level are they playing at now?

In the last ten years St Gallen were relegated twice but won promotion in the following season on both occasions.

Currently they are playing in the Super League (Switzerland's top division) and take part in the Europa League qualification (although at a very early stage).

They had one of their biggest successes in recent years in The Europa League. In 2013 they eliminated Spartak Moscow in the play-offs with a 4-2 victory away in Moscow.

In the group stage they faced Swansea. The last time (of only two in total) they became champions was in 2000.

What about the stadium and the size of it?

The club moved to a new ground in 2008. Previously they played in the legendary Espenmoos (below) for 98 years, in one of the city's neighbourhoods.

The Argus: The new stadium is located in a more industrial area on the outskirts of the city. Ivan Zamorano (ex-Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Chile) launched his career in St Gallen and once told a news reporter there was a smell of passion in the ground.

The new ground is called Kybunpark. Kybun is a manufacturer of air-cushion shoes that are supposedly good for your health. When it opened in 2008 it was called AFG Arena, AFG stands for a company that produced windows, kitchens etc.

Quite a lot of fans still refuse to call the ground (below) one or the other. The Argus: Crowds averaged 12,500 last season. The capacity is between 17,300 and 19,500, depending on seating or standing sections when St Gallen play domestic matches. There is a standing section behind one goal for home supporters.

Who are the key figures at the club and at what stage are St Gallen in their pre-season preparations?

The manager is Peter Zeidler. He has just taken over. The sports director is Alain Sutter, who used to be a Swiss international (World Cup 1994).

The Argus: Matthias Hueppi (above), the current president, is a former, well-known TV presenter.

Brighton's visit falls into the very last stages of preparation. The Swiss league is starting in a week.

Any particular players to look out for?

We have some new players I haven't seen yet. Of the rest, Tranquillo Barnetta is a former Swiss international who played for Bayer Leverkusen. He was born and raised in St Gallen and his return was quite a big thing. But he is struggling with his knee.

Cedric Itten was on loan from FC Basel and has now moved permanently. He's a promising attacker.

Defender Silvan Hefti (below), although only 20, is one of the club's longest-serving players. His brother, Nias, has just returned from a loan.

The Argus: Have St Gallen hosted an English club before?

We played Chelsea in the UEFA Cup in 2000. We had to play in Zurich but still managed to beat them 2-0 (having lost 1-0 in London).

As mentioned previously, while not English but still of interest, we played Swansea in the 2013-14 Europa League group stage. We lost in Swansea but won in St Gallen.