In an atypical fashion, it’s fifth vs sixth in the Premier League as Brighton travels to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Cristian Stellini’s second match in charge of the Tottenham squad will see the Italian oversee his men taking on the Seagulls, who sit 4 points below Spurs with two games in hand.
Stellini was appointed as the Tottenham Hotspur interim coach for the remainder of the season after the departure of former manager Antonio Conte.
After a horrible run of fixtures in March that saw the Lilywhites win a single game in the entire month, fans would hope for things to change under the interim boss.
That wasn’t the case however when Stellini’s first game in charge saw Spurs drop points to relegation battlers Everton at Goodison Park, a match where the North London club failed to defend their one-goal advantage against a last-minute Michael Keane screamer.
The North London side bagged a single victory in the entire month. That came against relegation battlers Nottingham Forest. Their poor run of results included Spurs getting knocked out of the UCL by AC Milan.
Brighton on the other hand are on a prolific run of form, and their position on the league table speaks for itself. Roberto De Zerbi has done a fantastic job taking over from Graham Potter and has brilliantly led his team so far toward what looks like a probable European spot finish.
With only a single loss in 2023, Brighton has arguably been one of the best sides in England this year, beating the likes of Liverpool. They find themselves sixth on the point table, just 4 behind Tottenham with 2 games to go. Though a UCL spot might look like a long shot, the Seagulls wouldn’t mind batting an eye at a top 4 finish.
Last 5 Results
Two sides, two entirely different stories. On the one hand, De Zerbi’s men would be looking at their recent run of form of 3 wins and 2 draws, hoping to continue replicating their performances and finish strongly, hopefully with a Europa League spot secured.
Spurs on the other hand find themselves with a single win out of a possible five. They’ve dropped points to the likes of Wolves and Everton, and even to the relegation-ridden Southampton. With 3 draws, a loss, and a single win in their last five outings, Stellini has a job to do in his little spell.
Everton: 6th
Win: 2-0 vs Bournemouth
Draw: 3-3 vs Brentford
Win: 5-0 vs Grimsby
Win: 1-0 vs Crystal Palace
Draw: 2-2 vs Leeds
Tottenham: 5th
Draw: 1-1 vs Everton
Draw: 3-3 vs Southampton
Win: 3-1 vs Nottingham
Draw: 0-0 vs Milan
Loss: 0-1 vs Wolves
Team News
Lucas Moura picked a red card against Everton and will serve his suspension against Brighton. Emerson, Davies, Bissouma, Sessengnon, Bentancur, and Richarlison are all ruled out of the fixture due to injuries.
Brighton will be traveling to the North of London with the majority of its squad fully fit. Rumors suggest that Tariq Lamptey could be given the green light for his much-awaited return against Spurs. Lalana, Moder, and Sarmiento remain out with injuries.
Possible Line-Ups
Tottenham Hotspur –
Lloris (GK), Romero, Dier, Lenglet, Porro, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Kulusevski, Son, Kane.
Brighton and Hove Albion –
Jason Steele (GK), Estupinan, Webster, Dunk, Veltman, Caicedo, Groß, Mitoma, MacAllister, March, Ferguson.
Head To Head
The head-to-head record grossly favors Tottenham. Out of the 15 times they’ve crossed paths with Brighton, the Lilywhites have come out on top in 11. Brighton has won 3, whereas one of their meetings has ended with both teams sharing the spoils.
Tottenham was the team to come out on top when they last met, beating the Seagulls 1-0 on away turf, courtesy of a Harry Kane winner.
The last time Brighton managed to get the better of Spurs was in April of last year when Brighton managed to edge past the North London club credits to a last-minute Leandro Trossard winner.
Where Will The Game Be Decided?
The mantle of carrying the Tottenham attack will once again lay on England’s all-time top scorer Harry Kane, as Son’s underwhelming season continues to woe fans.
However, Tottenham’s leaky defense remains to be the primary area of concern for the Yids. Despite the presence of World cup winning titans in Cuti Romero and Hugo Lloris, Spurs have conceded a total of 41 goals so far, the most among teams in the top 12.
If anything, we know for a fact that the Brighton attack is highly efficient. Solly March and Evan Ferguson have consistently posed threats to the opposition, whereas Kaoru Mitoma continues to be the difference maker.
If Stellini’s defense manages to hold itself together, Spurs might just be able to secure all three points at their home, but the stats do not suggest betting on the backline.
Predictions
All eyes are again on Harry Kane to be the difference maker for the Spurs. With the top 4 slipping out of their sights, fans would be praying for Stellini and Co to get it together and make one final push for a Champions League spot, though the latter now looks unlikely.
That said, Brighton’s current form makes it too difficult to bet against the De Zerbi-led squad.
No matter the outcome, expect this to be an exciting fixture. Both teams still have everything to fight for, and we fancy goals to occur from both ends.
Brighton 2-1 Tottenham
Odds
Brighton to win: 7/4
Draw: 29/11
Tottenham to win: 31/20
Harry Kane and Evan Ferguson are the most backed forwards to register their names on the scoresheet, with the odds of 21/5 and 7/1 respectively. A 1-0 scoreline in favor of the hosts is the most favored outcome of the match (9/1).
- By UniBet. At the time of writing.
Kickoff Time
The action kicks off at 15:00GMT at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.