Poyet told BBC Sussex: "The most important thing is the group togetherness. They're together all day.
"We are making sure that the players know each other better and it could be a key thing for the whole season."
He added: "It's important for the staff as well. Normally the manager only sees the players on the pitch.
"Here it's totally different - the environment, the way that the players are behaving and how they are sharing things.
"It's great to play a Premier League team and see if we can compete so it's going to be a great experience."
Albion play the Black Cats on Wednesday before taking on Portimonense on Saturday.
Source: BBC Sport
