Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to overturn their losing run when they visit the Amex Stadium to take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
One of the more interesting match-ups in Gameweek 6 of the 2018-19 Premier League will take place at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, when Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur lock horns, with both sides eager to return to winning ways.
Coincidentally, neither club has managed to notch up a win since they beat Manchester United in successive gameweeks. While Brighton have lost two and drawn as many, Tottenham have faced nothing but defeat over the last three weeks, with each perhaps being hard to take considering they were only beaten by the odd goal every time.
Brighton will take heart from the fact that they have clawed their way back from two goals down in each of their last two games, although a win is imperative if they are to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle. Tottenham, on the other hand, will be eager to rack up all three points, considering a place in the top four is still within touching distance.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 1-1 draw, with Pascal Gross netting from the spot to rescue a point for Brighton. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the Premier League encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Chris Hughton has just one injury concern to contend with ahead of the visit of Tottenham, with Pascal Gross the only absentee for the hosts, due to an ankle injury. This week, there has only been good news on the injury front for the Brighton boss, who is set to welcome Jose Izquierdo and Florin Andone, with the duo recovering completely from their respective injuries.
Izquierdo is in contention to feature, but Hughton could ease the Colombian back into action, meaning the left side of attack will be a throw up between Solly March and Alireza Jahanbakhsh. With March not exactly doing himself any favours in recent weeks, Jahanbakhsh could get the nod before Izquierdo vies to make the spot his own once again.
The rest of the side picks itself, with Yves Bissouma filling Gross’s void in the free role behind Glenn Murray, whose hold-up play and superb conversion will go a long way in getting a big result for Brighton against Tottenham. Another key man in attack will be Anthony Knockaert, who opened up this week on his battle with depression.
The Frenchman’s pacy outlet will be the X-Factor for Brighton, who will be depending on width to create the bulk of their chances, meaning the contribution of full-backs Martin Montoya and Gaetan Bong will be crucial as well.
At the heart of the defence, Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk will need to tighten up in order to stop leaking goals in the manner they did against Southampton, while Mathew Ryan will likely be a busy man in the Brighton goal.
Probable Starting Lineup (4-4-1-1): Ryan; Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bong; Knockaert, Propper, Stephens, Jahanbakhsh; Bissouma; Murray
Tottenham Hotspur
The poor results are just the tip of the iceberg over the mini crisis of sorts that has developed at Tottenham. Mauricio Pochettino has been deprived of a few key players in recent weeks as well, with captain Hugo Lloris and Dele Alli being the major absentees.
While Lloris still remains unavailable indefinitely due to a thigh injury, Alli is in contention to feature after recovering from his hamstring issue. The Englishman though, might not be fit enough to start, and will have to don the hat of an impact substitute for this week.
In his stead, Son Heung-min is likely to get the nod, with the South Korean international providing a twin pacy outlet on the flanks alongside Lucas Moura. With Alli not starting, Christian Eriksen will get another outing in hole, where he will hope to make an impact and play the support act to Harry Kane, who looks a tad jaded.
Meanwhile, Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld should return straight back to the lineup after being left at home for the trip to Milan. The duo will be eager to add steel at the heart of the Tottenham defence, which has been uncharacteristically porous in recent weeks.
Michel Vorm will need to improve significantly as well, following a less than satisfactory performance against Liverpool last week. In midfield, Victor Wanyama will hope to get the nod ahead of Eric Dier, who has been woefully out of form this season.
Probable Starting Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vorm; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Dembele; Lucas Moura, Eriksen, Son; Kane
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion have only managed to get the better of Tottenham Hotspur once in the last nine meetings between the two sides (D2 L6).
- Tottenham are hoping to avoid three successive Premier League losses for the first time since November 2012.
- Brighton are unbeaten in their last four games against the Premier League’s “Big Six” sides, having been defeated in each of their first three such outings (W3 D1).
- But, Brighton’s recent record in the Premier League is unenviable, having managed to win just two of their last 14 games, with both coincidentally coming over Manchester United, at home.
- Brighton have fought back from two goals down to avoid defeat in each of their last two games. No team has ever done this in three consecutive Premier League matches.
Betting Odds
Favourable Bets
1. Tottenham to beat Brighton @ 1.75
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The August hoodoo may have finally been defeated in triumphant fashion, but it seems to have paved the way for a September slump. In five games this month, for club and country, Harry Kane has failed to find the back of the net, struggling to even muster up shots on a consistent basis.
The constant football action has seemingly sapped the Tottenham superstar, who needs to get back to his best to pull Tottenham out of their rut. A faltering Brighton defence could be just the antidote that Kane needs to rediscover his swagger and inspire Spurs back to winning ways.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
This is a match that is hard to call. Tottenham look ripe for the taking at the moment, with wins just not coming their way, and Brighton would fancy their chances of picking up a point or three. But, a hurting Spurs side could also spell doom for the Seagulls, who will have to be on their guard at all times on Saturday.
A match that should not be short of goals, expect Harry Kane to make some sort of a statement against Brighton. But, his opposite number is in fine form, and the battle of strikers could go a long way in deciding the outcome of the game. Brighton are hard to beat at home, and they should do enough to secure a point, holding Tottenham to a 2-2 draw.