Herita Ilunga will come up against some familiar foes this Saturday but will not let anything affect his focus for the visit of Portsmouth.
The popular DR Congo left-back has been a revelation since his deadline-day move from Toulouse, where he had been a virtual ever-present the previous season. Prior to that, he had spent four seasons with St Etienne, where he established himself as a Ligue 1 performer and was voted player of the year.
This weekend's opposition boast plenty of French connections, with the likes of Nadir Belhadj, Lassana Diarra, Sylvain Distin, Younes Kaboul, Arnold Mveumba, Noe Pamarot and Armand Traore within Tony Adams' ranks. "It is going to be good to see people that I know from before," said Ilunga, although he will keep any pleasantries until after the final whistle.
"It is such an important game that I have to focus only on that. We can meet afterwards but the only that matters is to do well. It is very important for us to get the victory." Ilunga was voted player of the month by whufc.com users for October. "I am very happy with the way the fans have been towards me. I have felt an instant connection with them."