It’s a battle of the idealists on Thursday evening as Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton host Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
While Spurs were fortunate to escape with a 2-1 win over Everton at the weekend, their third straight victory suggests Postecoglou’s fast-starters are back on track after recently enduring a five-game winless run.
A pre-Christmas upsurge has seen Tottenham climb back up the table and within touching distance of the league leaders.
Brighton, meanwhile, have had difficulties managing the extra burden of Europa League football. Their domestic form has been patchy at best this term, with De Zerbi’s circuit-based routines perhaps becoming somewhat predictable. The Seagulls have also been dealing with a mountain of injuries, and currently sit ninth in the table.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Tottenham’s festive trip to Brighton.
Brighton vs Tottenham H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
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Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
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United Kingdom |
Amazon Prime Video |
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United States |
UNIVERSO NOW, NBC Sports App, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO, nbcsports.com, USA Network |
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Canada |
fuboTV |
Brighton’s injury list is still extensive. While De Zerbi could welcome Solly March back to the fold for Tottenham’s visit, the Italian is once again without a whole host of stars.
Julio Enciso, Pervis Estupinan and Joel Veltman are all expected to be back in action next month. Ansu Fati remains sidelined, as does Tariq Lamptey and Adam Webster.
Danny Welbeck could start up top after snatching a late equaliser against Crystal Palace off the bench last time out.
Brighton predicted lineup vs Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Van Hecke, Dunk, Igor; Gross, Gilmour; Buonanotte, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck.
Cristian Romero was withdrawn at half-time from the Everton win with a hamstring issue, but the defender is expected to be fit to start Thursday’s game.
Destiny Udogie will also come back into the side after missing Saturday’s match through suspension. Yves Bissouma, however, still has three games of his ban to sit out.
Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur are all expected to make their respective returns from injury in January.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Brighton (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Hojbjerg, Kulusevski; Johnson, Richarlison, Son.
This is a contest that could go either way despite Brighton’s recent struggles. The Seagulls have enjoyed two extra days of rest and Tottenham’s fortunate win over Everton exposed their fragility.
However, the return of Udogie to the visitors’ backline is a huge boost, and a reshuffle in midfield should aid Tottenham’s ability to contain a Brighton outfit that, while still dangerous, are growing in predictability.
There may well be goals at both ends, but Spurs’ efficient frontline could do more damage at the Amex.
Prediction: Brighton 1-3 Tottenham
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90Mins
