Super Eagles and Fulham defender Calvin Bassey has urged his teammates to shift their focus from their recent FA Cup win against Manchester United to their upcoming Premier League match against Brighton on Saturday.
Bassey was the hero of Fulham’s FA Cup win, scoring the only goal in open play and helping the team reach the penalty shootout, which they won convincingly. However, with European qualification still within reach, Fulham must quickly turn their attention to the Premier League clash against in-form Brighton.
Fulham currently sit ninth in the Premier League table, just one point behind Brighton and five points away from a Champions League spot with 11 games remaining. A win against Brighton would thus significantly boost their chances of securing European football for the first time since 2012.
Speaking ahead of the game with FFC TV, Calvin Bassey emphasized the importance of staying focused for the crucial fixture: “We know how good Brighton are. There’s no easy game in this league, and they’re another team with a lot of quality, so we have to make sure we’re locked in for that one.”
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Bassey stressed that the team must put their FA Cup celebrations behind them and concentrate on the task at hand: “We’ve had our days to celebrate, but now it’s back to work and make sure we are focused on the game on Saturday.”
Fulham have the opportunity to secure a double over Brighton, having already defeated them 3-1 at home earlier in the season. However, Bassey indicated that while securing a double is nice, the priority is getting three points and achieving their objectives.
“Us as players, we don’t always think about that (getting the double over Brighton), we just play each game as it comes. Of course, it’s an opportunity to do that as well, but it’s just about doing everything to get three points. We’ve been good away from home, so hopefully, we can keep our form going,” Bassey said.
Bassey will be eager to continue his impressive form, having scored two goals in his last three starts. Meanwhile, fellow Super Eagles teammate Alex Iwobi will be seeking to regain his form in attack, having gone six starts without a goal or assist.
Both Bassey and Iwobi have been named in the 39-man provisional list released by Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle, and they will be hoping to avoid any injuries as they prepare to represent the nation in crucial World Cup qualifying games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
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