Brighton vs Newcastle: Why Neal Maupay backs Albion to grab big chance

Brighton striker Neal Maupay is confident Albion can secure their Premier League status against Newcastle at the Amex Stadium tonight
Brighton striker Neal Maupay scored his 10th goal of the season at SouthamptonBrighton striker Neal Maupay scored his 10th goal of the season at Southampton
Brighton striker Neal Maupay scored his 10th goal of the season at Southampton

Maupay, who reached 10 goals for the season in the bruising 1-1 draw at Southampton, will hope to add to his tally against Steve Bruce's team.

Despite losing to Liverpool, Man United and Man City Albion have performed well since the restart and have claimed eight points from their other four games.

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Brighton did drop a place in the league standings to 16th following West Ham's win against Watford but they remain six points and a healthy goal difference above the relegation zone with two matches remaining.

A point tonight will confirm Albion's top flight status for a fourth consecutive season.

“We know our goal difference is better than the teams below us, so that is huge," said Maupay. "We have two games to go and we’re not safe yet so we need to keep fighting, but it was a good step.”

“We have lost a couple of games, but the important matches we won at Norwich and got a point tonight at Southampton and we beat Arsenal,” added Maupay.

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“The team spirit is really good and we keep fighting and playing hard. So we are confident that we are close to being safe.”

Brighton are unbeaten in all five Premier League meetings against Newcastle having won twice and drawn three. The only side Albion have faced more often without losing is West Ham and Newcastle have won just one of their past seven away matches against Brighton in all competitions.

Propper pride

Defender Adam Webster, who injured his hip in the 1-1 draw with Southampton, is a doubt and Steven Alzate (groin) and Jose Izquierdo (knee) remain sidelined. Alireza Jahanbakhsh missed out at St Mary's with a slight hamstring issues and should be back in contention.

“We have done well since the break," said midfielder Davy Propper who made his 100th start for the club at Southampton and has been involved in each of the seven matches since the restart. "We have been mentally strong and physically we knew we could handle the games - we are proud of what we did.

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“There have been ups and downs. We didn’t always get the results we deserved and there was a tough period during the winter but since the break the team has been focused on one goal and we have almost reached it, we are happy to be six points above the relegation zone at this stage.

“We are almost there and are quite positive we can get points in the last two games. We’re at home tonight and will approach the game with a lot of confidence. It would be nice to seal it [safety] here and it’s just unfortunate that we won’t have any fans with us.”

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