Brighton will be hoping to take advantage of Tottenham’s lousy form when they host the North London side at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton might be six games without a win since their triumph over fellow strugglers Watford, but it could be the right tome for the Seagulls to face a troubled Tottenham side. There was great optimism in the team at the beginning of the season, but that has slowly faded away as Graham Potter has been unable to turn his team’s fortunes.
The tie against Spurs might be a tough one on paper, but considering the North London side’s inconsistent form lately, Brighton might fancy their chances at home. The team were beaten comfortably by Chelsea in their last Premier League game, as they languish in 16th place, level on seven points with 17th-placed Norwich City.
Their visitors, Tottenham will be looking for answers when they play in the league. In what has been a horrific few days in the aftermath of a 2-7 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Mauricio Pochettino will undoubtedly eye revival. The manner of that defeat, especially at home became more of an embarrassment than concern, but Spurs will look to bounce back.
In the last matchday, Tottenham limped to a 2-1 victory with ten men against Southampton, but the cracks would have been visible to any watching manager. Pochettino will be keen to see how his side responds in the league, where they are still decently placed. However, in the aftermath of the Champions League defeat and being knocked out of the Carabao Cup, Spurs’ fans will be watching keenly.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Potter has a lengthy injury list to deal with ahead of the Tottenham game with as many as eight players in danger of missing out. The likes of Jose Izquierdo, Shane Duffy, Leandro Trossard, Davy Propper and Bernardo are definitely out of the clash while Solly March and Leon Balogun are doubts as well.
Ezequiel Schelotto has recovered from his knee injury, but might still be short of playing a game in the league. So with no major change in the injury list, Potter will be forced to name an unchanged lineup for the Spurs game. Potter could be a little conservative in his approach as he looks to field a side which is more defence-minded.
Potter will continue to field a three-man central defence with Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk and Dan Burn tasked with marshalling the backline. A midfield five could be on the cards, while Pascal Gross could be set to play in an advanced role just behind striker Neal Maupay.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1): Ryan; Webster, Dunk, Burn; Montoya, Mooy, Stephens, Bissouma, Alzate; Gross; Maupay
Tottenham Hotspur
As for Tottenham, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon remain the only players out with injury problems, while Serge Aurier will miss the game through suspension for his red card against Southampton. Apart from those above, Spurs have a near full squad to choose from, but Pochettino looks likely to stick with his usual stars.
The regular centre-back pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen should continue at the back with Danny Rose at left-back. Pochettino has the option of calling Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back, but with the manager unconvinced by the youngster, he might choose Moussa Sissoko in an unconventional role. Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele are the likely central midfield pairing.
Harry Kane will undoubtedly continue to be deployed upfront, with the under-fire Christian Eriksen likely to keep his place just behind Kane. Heung-min Son and Erik Lamela will provide options from wide areas, with the likes of Lucas Moura and Dele Alli operating from the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Sissoko, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Ndombele, Winks; Lamela, Eriksen, Son; Kane
Key Stats
- Brighton are winless in all four of their Premier League meetings with Spurs (W0 D1 L3), losing both matches last season.
- Spurs haven’t lost against Brighton since April 1983 when they were beaten 2-1 in a top-flight fixture – they’ve won five and drawn one of six matches against the Seagulls in all competitions since then.
- Brighton haven’t led for a single minute in any of their four Premier League matches against Spurs, with their two goals both coming in matches when they were trailing.
- Brighton have lost just one of their last 19 league matches in October (W10 D8 L1), losing 2-0 away at Arsenal in 2017.
- Starting with a 1-2 defeat to Burnley on February 23rd 2019, Tottenham Hotspur have won just 22 points in their last 19 Premier League matches.
Betting Odds
Probables:
1. Tottenham to win @ 1.90
2. Over 2.5 Match Goals @ 1.72
Outside Chance:
1. Tottenham Asian Handicap -1.5 @ 3.450
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The humiliation that Spurs suffered at the hands of Bayern in midweek might be a hard one to swallow. However, the Spurs team is full of strong characters with the mental strength to bounce back from such an embarrassment. Harry Kane in particular will want to be that character and lead his team from the front in their quest for revival.
The striker has had a somewhat quiet start to his season, and he’d want to bring some energy and goals into his game. Spurs’ recent struggles will be fresh in the striker’s mind, and he’d want to repair that problem by scoring some much-needed goals for his side. The England striker will be watched with keen eyes as everyone associated with the club will be curious to see how the team responds now.
Prediction
Brighton 1-1 Tottenham
Tottenham might find it very difficult to bounce back from the 2-7 defeat and all of a sudden start winning games. There might be a revival period on the cards for the team, and it starts with the Brighton game. The Seagulls will be keen to take full advantage of their opponents’ situation and might get a result here.
Tottenham have seen a significant dip in their form this season and the problem is more profound than just about some of their unsettled stars. The manager’s future is in question as well, and all these factors are showing in their recent results. Expect Brighton to hold Tottenham to a draw at the Amex Stadium.
