Maupay ready for Sparta showdown

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Neal Maupay will carry Albion hopes into Europe today – and the striker is in confident mood.

Alex Stedman

2020-03-23T06:00:00Z

Neal Maupay takes to the FIFA field this lunchtime.

The Frenchman is representing the Seagulls in Leyton Orient’s FIFA 20 tournament which has captured the imagination of fans, players and supporters alike after clubs from all over the world signed up.

The draw for the 128-team tournament was made last Tuesday and pits Maupay and Albion against Sparta Rotterdam in the first round, with kick off at 12.30pm today and the action being streamed by the Frenchman on his Twitch channel.

He said, “I fancy my chances of going quite far. There’ll be some good players, but I think I can go well.

“The fans would have wanted me to face Crystal Palace, and I know Andros Townsend is playing for them, but Sparta Rotterdam is a nice European draw and hopefully I can make home advantage count at the Amex.

“It could be an exciting one, let’s see what happens. But hopefully as many fans as possible can tune in and see how I get on.”

Maupay will have some big selection decisions to make before the game, but he revealed he’d be basing his choices on statistics.

“I’d have to start with myself of course but there are some important choices to make,” he added.

“I’d pick the team based on the ratings of the game. It’s not real life and everyone has different ratings, so I’ll do it on numbers to start the game.”

With the Premier League currently suspended until at least 30th April, Maupay spoke about how tournaments such as this are a welcome diversion while there is no football on the pitch.

“I’m really excited to represent Brighton, I’m a big fan of FIFA and play quite a bit in my spare time,” he added.

“During this period, we have some time away from the field so it will be a nice to take on clubs from all over the world. The interest has been massive and probably surprised a lot of people.

“It’s a tough time for players, clubs and fans. We need to find things to take part in to fill the time and hopefully this will be a bit of fun.”