Bernardo is relishing the opportunity of experiencing Premier League football at the AMEX Stadium for the first time when Brighton & Hove Albion host Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
The Seagulls dropped points in their opening match of the season last Saturday against Watford, losing 2-0 at Vicarage Road while the Red Devils were 2-1 victors in their season opener against Leicester City at Old Trafford.
The fans and support make it "special"
The Brazilian made his Brighton debut in the loss at Watford, but insists playing in his first home match will be even better: “To make my home debut in the league will be great - the fans and their support make it special.
“The fans are really amazing, the people here in the city are similar to Brazilians and people told me that the people down here are different to others in England.
“People here are very friendly and they have a polite approach to life and the people around them – I don’t know if it’s something in the air, but people are really nice!”
"We're much better" than the way we played at Watford
A brace from Roberto Pereyra sent the Hornets on their way, but Bernardo feels the real Brighton didn't show themselves last Saturday.
“It was tough at the weekend but it’s not the team we know we can be. We didn’t play as we can and we’re much better than that – personally for me I played on the other side of defense for most of the game, so that was different for me".
Lined up on the right side of defense, the Brazilian is used to playing on the left: “I’ve played many times on the right-hand side of defence, so it wasn’t new, but in more recent times I've mainly been on the left. The game is different here and there are more duels in the air - I still need to adapt myself.”
Albion hoping for a repeat of last United fixture at home
When the two sides met last May at the AMEX, Brighton recorded a 1-0 victory that secured their Premier League survival with Bernardo emphasizing the importance of embracing the challenge.
“Playing against Manchester United is really exciting – they’re a big side so you know it won’t be easy, but the good part is that you’re in this league to play against those levels.
“In the Premier League results aren’t always as you’d expect and that’s why football is such an amazing sport.
“It’s not like other sports where the favourites always win – different things happen all the time and we have a good team with good players, so anything is possible.”