Chris Hughton has gained the upper hand in his most recent battles with Carlos Carvalhal.

It is a trend the Albion manager hopes will continue at the Amex on Saturday as they go head-to-head for the first time in the Premier League.

Hughton knows Swansea boss Carvalhal better than any other manager he has come across in the top flight.

It will be the seventh time they have faced each other in three seasons after tussling against the Portugese in the Championship when he was in charge of Sheffield Wednesday.

Their first two meetings in 2015-16 both ended in 0-0 draws. That was followed by the pain of the play-offs for the Seagulls. A catastrophic crop of injuries in a 2-0 defeat in the first leg at Hillsborough (below) gave Carvalhal his one and only victory over Hughton.

The Argus: It left Albion too much ground to make up in the second leg at the Amex, which they started in scintillating fashion before the game ended in another (1-1) draw.

That blow was avenged last season as Carvalhal's Wednesday were beaten 2-1 in Yorkshire and in Sussex on the way to promotion.

Hughton said: "I've got very fresh memories of the play-offs because it was a game in which I experienced – most of us experienced – something that we hadn't before, picking up four injuries in one game.

"Coming back to the Amex after losing 2-0 at Sheffield, we probably put in a first-half performance that was arguably the best in my period at the club.

"So the emotions were very mixed but I think that disappointment allowed us to rectify that the following season and get promotion.

"He (Carvalhal) is firstly a very good manager but also a very good individual. He's one that I've seen before and after all the games that we've played, irrespective of what the results have been.

"He's somebody who relishes managing here in England and, as you can see by his press conferences, he's thoroughly enjoying working in the Premier League."

The Argus: Carvalhal (above) has used colourful analogies during his pre and post-match briefings since he was sacked by Sheffield Wednesday on Christmas Eve and unexpectedly succeeded Paul Clement at the Liberty Stadium just four days later.

Sardines, Formula One cars, hospital patients and barbecued meat have all featured as Carlosisms.

All that matters to Swansea supporters is their transformation from apparent relegation certainties when Carvalhal took over into a team with a fighting chance of survival, with a different formation and tactics, three central defenders and a model based on soaking up pressure and counter-attacking.

Hughton said: "I think as regards what he wants from his players, it's fairly similar. He had a very good Sheffield Wednesday team that put in a lot of good performances. They were a hard team to beat and he is somebody that's prepared to make changes to win a game.

"Probably the big change is the formation. At Sheffield Wednesday, he predominantly played a form of 4-4-2, similar to ourselves. What he has done is identified what he has there (Swansea), the difficulties they were in and put a structure in place that has enabled them to get results.

"If we are the team that has more possession, it's always about how you use it and getting into areas that can hurt the opposition.

"Where I think we have been better in this period that we've had (five unbeaten), is that we've looked more likely to score goals and I think we've threatened more than we have at different stages this season.

"We will need that because they are good at the system they play and it has got them results. We'll have to be mindful of that. But we'll play a way that will hopefully allow us to have opportunities."