When Tottenham Hotspur travels to the Amex on Saturday evening to take on Brighton & Hove Albion, they will be playing in the Premier League and will be seeking to get back on track with regard to their recent losing streak.
Last weekend, Arsenal defeated Spurs 3-1 in the North London derby, while Brighton battled Liverpool to a thrilling 3-3 draw in Roberto De Zerbi’s debut game as head coach of the Seagulls.
Our Match Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur
Graham Potter did such a great job at Brighton that it will be hard for De Zerbi to improve on last season’s ninth-place Premier League result, but the Italian was pleased with what he witnessed at Anfield last weekend.
Leandro Trossard completed his hat-trick in the 83rd minute to clinch a draw for Brighton, who might have been four goals up after a commanding start. Brighton has 14 points from seven matches, one point ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea.
They’ve only lost once in the league this season, against Fulham in August. The Seagulls will be fresher owing to Tottenham’s European obligations, and a win would set them up well for Brentford and Nottingham Forest.
Brighton has won two of their past three Premier League meetings against Spurs, including a 1-0 success in April, although Spurs won 2-0 last season. Tottenham is third in the Premier League standings after winning five, drawing two, and losing one of their first eight games.
Antonio Conte’s team has only won one of their previous four games in all competitions, and they lost 3-1 to Arsenal in the North London derby last weekend. Harry Kane’s penalty tied the score in the 31st minute, but Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka scored for Arsenal.
Tottenham drew 0-0 with Eintracht Frankfurt in Champions League play on Tuesday, moving them to second in Group D with four points.
Only three points separate fourth-place Marseille from group leaders Sporting Lisbon, and Conte’s club faces Frankfurt at home next week before hosting Sporting Lisbon and visiting Marseille.
Spurs will face Everton, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Bournemouth in their next four league matches before traveling to Liverpool in November for their last encounter before the 2022 World Cup.
Our Team News: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur
Jakub Moder, who has been out with a knee injury, will once again be unavailable for Brighton, while Enock Mwepu’s health status makes him a question mark for the Seagulls.
The home team is in fine form overall, so we’ll likely see the same starting lineup that faced Liverpool in their previous game. Danny Welbeck was fantastic in the 3-3 draw with the Reds, and he should start up top once again.
Trossard, who scored three times at Anfield, will also be in the last third of the pitch, while Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo will play centrally.
The team’s fitness coach, Gian Piero Ventrone, unexpectedly died away from leukemia at the age of 61, therefore Thursday’s scheduled press conference with Conte to certify the team’s injury condition for this match was canceled.
Emerson Royal is banned after his red card in the North London derby while Japhet Tanganga, Lucas Moura, and Dejan Kulusevski are all out with injuries and will not be available for selection.
Consequently, Ryan Sessegnon is likely to start as a left wing-back and Ivan Perisic might go to the right, but further changes are not anticipated.
Having Clement Lenglet in a back three should keep Ben Davies out once again, and with Kulusevski out of the picture, Richarlison will be able to join Harry Kane and Son Heung-min in the attack.
- Brighton & Hove Albion Possible Starting Lineup: Sanchez, Veltman, Dunk, Webster; March, Mac Allister, Caicedo, Estupinan, Trossard, Welbeck, Gross.
- Tottenham Hotspur Possible Starting Lineup: Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet, Perisic, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Sessegnon, Richarlison, Kane, Son.
Our Prediction: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
At the present, Brighton is a very difficult opponent to take on, as they have won seven points from their three league matches played at home so far this season. On the other hand, Tottenham has just one victory out of their last four matches played away from home in the Premier League, and we anticipate that this match between the two teams will end in an exciting tie.
