How much higher can **Brighton**climb? Fabian Hurzeler has the chance to give the fans "something special" if he takes the club to glory in cup competition, and it starts with a game at Oxford United.
‘We have to take it seriously’
Oxford finished 17th in the Championship last term, so the visitors are the firm favourites. However, Hurzeler is not underestimating the task: he foresees a physical encounter on the road on Wednesday.
"We expect an opponent who is very good in their defence and defensive shape. They are very compact and they have a lot of physical players in the last line, so it will not be easy to outplay them. They don't give away a lot of chances. We have to be good regarding the long balls and tough in the personal duels. It will be a challenge and a good opportunity for us to do better than last weekend."
**Brightonhave become an upwardly mobile Premier League outfit in the last four years. They have tasted Europa[**League](https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2025/05/23/brighton-hove-albion/1223803-joao-wont-be-in-the-squadbrighton-boss-hurzeler-confirms-pedro-absence-for-tottenham-season-ender.html)football, but success in a cup competition could be the best experience to date.
"It's a cup game, a tournament where you can win a trophy. That is the expectation from the club so we have to take it seriously, we want to give our fans what they deserve. I'm sure there will be a lot of away fans who spend a lot of time and money, so we have to go there to show our best performance."
Hurzeler highlighted the joy of Newcastle United as an example of what winning this tournament would mean. The Toon have reached the Champions League for the second time in three years, but while PSR stifle their ambition, no one can take away the history of winning at Wembley Stadium.
*"It doesn't have the tradition like the FA Cup, but we saw last season with Newcastle that if you win a title, it is something special, the supporters are very proud of their team, they enjoyed celebrating.”*
‘They are good characters with potential to help us’
Hurzeler has every intention of going through to the third round of the cup. However, he will not turn down an ideal opportunity to see some squad members and give playing time to peripheral players.
"There will be opportunities for players who didn't play much in the first games, for everyone to show themselves - but I can promise we take it very seriously and there is competition in the squad.”
Maxim de Cuyper has come into the mix this summer as a left back to take the place of Pervis Estupinan. **Jan Paul van Hecke**and Lewis Dunk are still the anchors in the centre of the defence, meaning two newcomers have had to wait for their chance, which could arrive on this trip to Oxford.
“I'm sure they will show a good performance tomorrow, and I'm sure they will help our squad."
The board bought Oliver Boscagli from **PSV Eindhovenand Diego[**Coppola](https://www.vavel.com/en/international-football/2024/08/16/italy-calcio/1192786-the-ones-to-watch-20-players-to-keep-an-eye-from-every-club-in-the-serie-a.html)from Hellas Verona. Hurzeler has faith that they can contribute after the signs he has seen from the pair in the preseason.
"I saw them in the friendly games and they made a good impression, so they will have a chance tomorrow to show how good they are, to show that they are competitive for us. They have both integrated into the group quickly. They are good characters with potential to help us.”
The German gave the impression that there would not be more arrivals after the 2-0 loss to **Everton**on the weekend. However, he is willing to accept that some players might be offloaded this week.
"We still have a very big squad so we have to reduce the squad. There are not things I can comment at the moment. The transfer window closes soon. Hopefully we have clarity for our squad and planning."