O’Neil determined to bounce back against Brighton following tough loss to Newcastle - Zack Oaten

O’Neil is determined to have his strongest squad ready for the highly anticipated derby against Aston Villa on Saturday. However, he also emphasizes the importance of giving it their all and going head-to-head with Brighton in tonight's match.

“We need to dust ourselves down and get ready to produce another performance in the week and see if we can go on better. The Premier League is tough and you can play as well as you want against Arsenal, it doesn't guarantee you anything, you can play as well as you want against Chelsea, it doesn't guarantee you anything. 

“We knew the run of fixtures was tough, and Sunday’s performance and how far we pushed a Newcastle side that were obviously in Champions League last year, have got top players, an unbelievable bench, so there's a lot a lot of good in that.  

“My job is to see things really clearly and I still see a team that stuck together, produced an awful lot of quality and went toe to toe with a team that are going to be higher up the league than us.” 

He spoke about his sides confidence and how a win later today would help push the side not only into the next round of the Carabao Cup but also into the right mentality against Villa.