Tottenham Hotspur will be eager to return to winning ways when they host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
The 2022/23 Premier League season continues this weekend with Gameweek 30. The action kicks off with the match between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford. And the latest round of fixtures will resume after that in the capital, as Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion face off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham will go into the final stretch of the 2022/23 season with a sense of disappointment. The north London club would have hoped to win at least one trophy under the tutelage of Antonio Conte. But the Italian tactician failed to galvanise the squad before going at odds with the board. And Cristian Stellini has taken charge for the remainder of the season alongside Ryan Mason.
On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion continue to go from strength to strength under Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian manager took charge of the Seagulls after Graham Potter joined Chelsea in September. And the visitors are in a healthy position to secure European qualification at the end of the season. Their prospects do look good, as they are on a seven-game unbeaten run.
The reverse fixture saw Tottenham eke out a 1-0 win over Brighton, with Harry Kane scoring the match-winner. The two teams also faced off in the FA Cup fourth round, with Spurs clinching a 3-1 victory. And The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
“We are getting closer with Richarlison”
Cristian Stellini gives a team news update ahead of #TOTBHA 🗣 pic.twitter.com/mZfGGoM1Wj
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 6, 2023
Cristian Stellini has pressing roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, the Tottenham Hotspur manager will be bereft of the services of seven first-team players.
Lucas Moura is unavailable for several games after seeing red against Everton on Monday. The Brazilian winger has joined Emerson Royal (knee), Ben Davies (thigh), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Yves Bissouma (ankle), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), and Richarlison (knock) on the sidelines.
Hugo Lloris is fit and available and will take his spot between the sticks. Tottenham will line up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him, with Stellini retaining the system that Antonio Conte preferred during his stint.
Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, and Clement Lenglet pick themselves in the central defensive unit. The trio will look to remain compact and deny the Brighton attackers any space to exploit. The trio’s presence at the back will allow the wing-backs, Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic, freedom to express themselves.
The duo’s deliveries from the flanks will bring Harry Kane into the equation. At the same time, they will provide defensive support to the two central midfielders, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp. The duo will be primarily defensive-minded in their approach and look to add a layer of cover for the centre-backs.
As for the offensive unit, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski pick themselves as the supporting cast for Harry Kane. Son has recently regained his form and will look to continue rediscovering his best touch as the season’s final stretch approaches.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Porro, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Brighton & Hove Albion
Unlike his counterpart in the Tottenham dugout, Roberto De Zerbi has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
The good news is that Tariq Lamptey (knee), Moises Caicedo (ankle), and Alexis Mac Allister (knock) should be fit and available this weekend. But Adam Lallana (thigh), Jakub Moder (knee), and Jeremy Sarmiento (ankle) remain on the sidelines.
"I believe in my players. When I see them working and playing, I always trust in them.
"The quality of players we have is very high. I am proud to be coach of this club." #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/06Y2GGL659
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 7, 2023
Jason Steele will continue between the sticks after keeping Robert Sanchez at bay. And Brighton will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of the experienced goalkeeper. As for the defensive unit, Joel Veltman, Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, and Pervis Estupinan pick themselves.
Moving into the midfield unit, Caicedo and Pascal Gross are automatic picks. Caicedo will provide defensive cover to the defenders, enabling Gross to link defence with the attack. Meanwhile, Alexis Mac Allister will be the most advanced midfielder for Brighton.
The Argentine international will carry the ball forward deep into the final third, enabling the two wide attackers to pounce on pockets of space. The said wingers, Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma will look to use their directness to catch the Tottenham defenders off-guard. Finally, there is no looking past Evan Ferguson to spearhead the Brighton attack.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Veltman, Dunk, Webster, Estupinan; Caicedo, Gross; March, Mac Allister, Mitoma; Ferguson
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion have lost two of their last three Premier League away games against London club (D1), as many as they had in their previous 14 visits to the capital (W4 D8).
- None of Tottenham’s last 24 home league games has ended in a draw (W17 L7), and they have won the last four in a row. None of the last nine managers to take charge of a Premier League game for Tottenham have lost their first home match in charge (W7 D2) since Clive Allen lost 2-1 against Blackburn in October 2007.
- Tottenham have drawn their last two Premier League matches despite leading each time, drawing 3-3 at Southampton and 1-1 at Everton. They have not gone ahead but failed to win in three consecutive league games since April 2021 (draw with Newcastle United, defeat to Manchester United, draw with Everton).
- 15 of Brighton’s last 18 Premier League goals in London have come in the second half. The Seagulls have only netted in the first half in three of their last 17 league visits to the capital.
- Harry Kane has scored nine goals in 11 appearances for Tottenham against Brighton. The Seagulls could become the ninth team England’s record goal scorer reaches double figures against in his career, after Leicester City, Everton, Arsenal, Southampton, West Ham United, Burnley, Crystal Palace and Stoke City.
Player to Watch
Evan Ferguson
Harry Kane will invariably come under the spotlight whenever there is a game featuring Tottenham Hotspur. But we are going ahead with the latest rising striker in the Premier League, who might push Kane for the biggest scoring records in the years to come.
The Irish striker is enjoying an excellent breakthrough campaign and scoring goals for fun for the Seagulls. And the Brighton prospect’s progress has attracted several high-profile clubs, including Tottenham. It will be interesting to see if he comes out on top in the much-awaited battle with Kane.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham’s ability to keep the backdoor shut in recent games has come to the fore. And Brighton will look to pounce when the two sides meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. In addition, the hosts have lost three of their last five home Premier League matches in April (W2), including a 1-0 defeat to Brighton last year.
Tottenham had only lost three of their previous 30 home league matches in April before this run (W20 D7). But their recent sub-par home run should continue on Saturday amid Brighton’s superb unbeaten streak. The Seagulls have a clear target in sight, and we predict a 2-1 win that will enable them to continue their march up the table.
