Mark McGhee's response was revealing when asked to assess his old club Leicester ahead of Albion's visit tonight.

"I've no idea," he said. "I've got a match report, I know their shape, I know their team, but I really am paying Leicester very little attention.

"That's not being disrespectful. I know they are capable of beating us if they play as well as they can but it's about ourselves, how up for it we are and how determined we are to win the game."

McGhee's comments are an indication of how far his side have moved on in the early stages of their second season in the Championship.

The shift in mindset is not reflected, for the time being at least, by statistics.

This time last year Albion were two points better off but two places worse off in the table.

They had already won at Leicester, with their only shot on target from Adam Virgo.

The result that day was a big surprise, not just to the fans but probably McGhee and his players as well. It will be much less of a shock if they win tonight.

The Seagulls no longer think in terms of nicking a goal and holding on for an away result. They believe they can beat any team in the division.

"We know we are capable of losing every game but we are also capable of winning every game, I don't care who we are playing," McGhee said.

"I go back to the Sheffield United game (Albion lost 1-0 at home to the runaway leaders). We should have taken something from it.

"We played well enough in the second half to do that and I think we can consider ourselves at the moment to go anywhere and take something. That includes Leicester."

The table may not show the difference yet but other figures do. Albion had 11 shots on target in their last home match against Coventry, ten against Plymouth, seven attempts on goal against Sheffield United, eight at Leeds.

"I think we played well enough to win at Leicester last season, even though it was one chance Virgs took, but we are making a lot more chances now than we were then," McGhee said.

"If we continue to do that then obviously we would expect to have more shots on target and a better chance of scoring goals.

"The emphasis in the way we are playing has changed, because we are making chances and we feel as if we are capable of scoring.

"Last year we didn't quite know where a goal was going to come from. Therefore we had to err on the side of caution, try to sneak a win or get a draw.

"Now we are playing to try to win the game and if we end up drawing or losing so be it."

The shot count dropped in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Burnley, where Albion were undermined by injuries and illness. The virus which ruled out Dean Hammond and Gary Hart and threatened to sweep through the camp has been contained.

McGhee will be especially pleased to have Hammond back in the middle of midfield, probably alongside Charlie Oatway as Richard Carpenter is doubtful with the foot injury which forced him off at half-time at Turf Moor.

"Dean Hammond's trained," McGhee revealed. "Harty is on antibiotics, so he is more doubtful of the two that have been ill.

"The rest who have shown signs of illness, Colin (Kazim-Richards), Jake (Robinson) and Albert (Jarrett), have all trained. Chippy is struggling but we have not ruled him out yet.

"Dean is the extra player who gets beyond the strikers and into the box. That gives us another dimension than Richard, Charlie or Alexis (Nicolas). They tend to play behind the ball, where as Dean gets ahead of it.

"He's scored a couple and he should really have another two or three goals on his record this season."

Kazim-Richards is pressing Robinson hard for his place up front after coming on in the second half of the last two games and scoring his first goal for the club against Coventry.

"Colin's chomping at the bit," McGhee said. "He showed again when he came on on Saturday the form he's in."

Kerry Mayo, back in the team at Burnley as cover for Hart, captured the prevailing mood.

"We don't go looking for a draw away from home," said the long-serving leftback. A draw is a great result away but we are going to Leicester very positive and we will be going again for the three points."

Last season Albion travelled in hope rather than expectation. Now, when the players say they are going to win, they mean it and believe it.