Maxim De Cuyper Eager To Forge Strong Partnership With Kaoru Mitoma At Brighton This Season

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Maxim de Cuyper is gearing up for his debut season in English football with Brighton. He is optimistic about forming a solid partnership with Kaoru Mitoma. De Cuyper joined the Seagulls from Club Brugge this summer, signing a five-year contract worth approximately £17.3 million. The 24-year-old Belgian defender aims to replace Pervis Estupinan, who transferred to AC Milan.

De Cuyper showcased his potential by scoring in Brighton's final pre-season match against Wolfsburg. He also displayed good synergy with Mitoma on the left flank. "If you can play with a winger like this, I think everybody knows his qualities," De Cuyper said on the club website. "If I can take advantage of his qualities and if he's pulling two defenders to him, it gives me more space to do something."

Brighton will kick off their Premier League campaign at home against Fulham this Saturday. Meanwhile, Fulham has had an unbeaten pre-season run under Marco Silva. They secured victories over Nottingham Forest, Al-Ittihad, and Eintracht Frankfurt as they prepared for the new season.

Raul Jimenez, Fulham's top scorer last season with 12 goals, returned late to training after winning the Gold Cup with Mexico in July. Jimenez scored the decisive goal in their friendly against Frankfurt and expressed confidence in Fulham's readiness for the Premier League.

"I'm really happy to finish pre-season with a win and a goal," said Jimenez. "For me, it is always important to score, to gain some more confidence and I'm really happy for the team." He added that despite limited rest time, he feels fit and ready for the upcoming challenges.

Kaoru Mitoma ended last season strongly for Brighton, contributing goals or assists in four of his last five league matches. The Japanese international scored 10 goals and provided four assists during the 2024-25 campaign, marking his best season yet in terms of goal involvements.

For Fulham, Alex Iwobi had an impressive scoring season last year with nine goals and six assists. Against Brighton specifically, Iwobi has been involved in six Premier League goals—three scored and three assisted—making him a key player to watch.

Match Prediction: Brighton Favoured

Brighton enters this match on a high note after scoring more Premier League goals than any other team since February's 7-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. They have won their opening league match for four consecutive seasons—the longest such streak in their history.

Fulham has struggled in recent away games against Brighton, winning only once in their last seven visits (D3 L3). However, they have a decent overall record against Brighton in the Premier League with five wins out of ten encounters (W5 D4 L1).

The Opta Win Probability suggests Brighton has a 49.1% chance of victory compared to Fulham's 26.4%, while a draw stands at 24.5%. This statistical edge favours Brighton as they aim to continue their strong start to the season.