Brighton & Hove Albion will take on Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday evening, looking to get their season back on track with a positive result at home.
Tottenham Hotspur are fourth in the league table, and they will look to build on their recent run of form when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Thursday night.
The away side have picked up three consecutive victories in the league. But Ange Postecoglou will demand more of the same from his players. Spurs will be looking to secure UEFA Champions League qualification this season, and they need to win these games in order to finish in the top four.
Meanwhile, the home side are ninth in the league table, with just two wins from their last six Premier League outings. They will need to improve immensely to grind out all three points. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News and Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton have a number of injury problems heading into this game. They will be without the services of Ansu Fati, Pervis Estupinan and Tariq Lamptey because of thigh injuries. Julio Enciso, Solly March and Joel Veltman are ruled out with knee issues. Adam Webster is set to miss out as well.
Brighton will start in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Jack Hinshelwood and Igor Julio are likely to be deployed as the full-backs. They will help out in the attack and protect the central defenders. Jan Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk will form the central defensive pairing.
Billy Gilmour and Carlos Baleba will start in the midfield pivot, and they will look to break up opposition attacks and protect the defensive unit. Simon Adingra and Joao Pedro will add pace and flair from the wide areas, and they will look to fit Spurs on the counter. Pascal Gross will start as the central attacking midfielder, behind Danny Welbeck in the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Van Hecke, Dunk, Igor; Gilmour, Baleba; Adingra, Gross, Pedro; Welbeck
Tottenham
Ivan Perisic has been ruled out for the season, and he will miss out. James Maddison will return from his ankle injury next month. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are sidelined with thigh injuries.
Rodrigo Bentancur misses out with an ankle injury, while Manor Solomon has a knee injury and Yves Bissouma is suspended. Tottenham will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 system against Brighton, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal.
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie are nailed on to start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Emerson Royal and Ben Davies should start at the heart of the defence in the absence of a specialist central defender.
Pape Matar Sarr and Giovani Lo Celso will operate in the midfield pivot, and the two players will look to add creativity and control to the side. Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min will start as the wingers here and they will look to add pace, flair and goals to the Spurs attack. Finally, Richarlison will lead the line with Dejan Kulusevski behind him in the hole.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Royal, Davies, Udogie; Lo Celso, Sarr; Johnson, Kulusevski, Son; Richarlison
Key Stats
- Tottenham have won their last three matches in the Premier League.
- Tottenham have won four of their last six meetings with Brighton.
- Brighton have won just two of their last six matches in the Premier League.
- 12 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
Player to Watch
Son Heung-min
The Tottenham captain as been in superb form this season, and the North Londoners will need him to step up and deliver if they are to win here. They are without a number of key players, and this will be a difficult outing for them.
Son Heung-min could help Tottenham open up the Brighton defence with his flair, movement and link-up play. He is a proven goalscorer as well. The South Korean international is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Brighton & Hove Albion will be desperate to get their campaign back on track here, and they will look to put on a strong performance in front of their fans when they take on Tottenham Hotspur at the Amex Stadium on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Spurs are severely weakened because of a number of injury problems. This is likely to be a close contest but the two teams are likely to cancel each other out in the end. A draw seems quite likely.
