Tottenham Hotspur find themselves in a fix after failing to win a single match from their last five in the Premier League, recording four losses and a draw. At the same time, Brighton and Hove Albion are in better form, picking up eight points from the last available fifteen.
Spurs’ most prominent exit over the summer was prolific hitman Harry Kane who left the North London side for Bundesliga big boys Bayern München in search of a new challenge. Other notable exits include Harry Winks who left for relegated Leicester City, Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele to Turkish giants Galatasaray, Lucas Moura to Sao Paulo on a free transfer. Sergio Reguilon, Japhet Tanganga, Djed Spence, and Joe Rondon secured loan moves away to Manchester United, FC Augsburg, and Leeds United respectively.
Spurs also welcomed new faces into their fold, signing Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest, English midfielder James Maddison from Leicester City, Dutch center-back Micky van de Ven from VfL Wolfsburg, Pedro Porro from Sporting CP, Dejan Kulusevski from Italian giants Juventus, and current starting goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli. Exciting winger Manor Solomon joined from Shakhtar Donetsk on a free transfer while Giovanni Lo Celso returned from his loan spell at Villarreal.
After a very exciting start to the 23/24 Premier League campaign which saw Tottenham Hotspur sit top of the Premier League table after going unbeaten in their first ten games, they have hit a bad patch of form, picking up just one point from the last fifteen that have been up for grabs. Their winless run kick-started against fellow London rivals Chelsea in a match that saw them go two men down after Christian Romero was sent off in the 33rd minute for a reckless challenge on international teammate Enzo Fernandez inside the penalty box, after which Udogie received his marching orders after committing a second bookable offense in the 55th minute.
The Blues did nicely to capitalize on the opportunity and hammer their local rivals courtesy of a Nicolas Jackson hat trick. Narrow 2-1 losses against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa were followed by a thrilling 3-3 draw away at The Etihad, home of defending champions and favorites Manchester City with their most recent loss against another West London outfit, West Ham. The game ended 2-1 in favor of the Hammers.
Brighton and Hove Albion on the other hand have handled themselves with relative decency so far in the Premier League despite losing several integral squad members to league rivals over the summer. Argentine midfield player Alexis Mac Allister joined Merseyside giants Liverpool football club while Moises Caicedo and a disgruntled Robert Sanchez had their signatures secured by West Londoners Chelsea FC. Deniz Undav, Jeremy Sarmiento, and Steven Alzate confirmed loan departures to VFB Stuttgart, championship side West Brom, and Belgian side Standard Liege, respectively.
The Seagulls also secured the signatures of new talents in all areas of the pitch, snagging Joao Pedro from promotion hopefuls Watford, Carlos Baleba from Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille, Igor from Serie A’s Fiorentina and backup goalkeeper Bart Vebruggen from RSC Anderlecht. Simon Adingra and Ansu Fati are on loan deals from Union Saint Gilloise and Spanish giants Barcelona, respectively. James Milner and Mahmoud were recruited on free transfers from Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund.
Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton have struggled to replicate their electrifying start to the season, which saw them win five of their first six Premier League matches while scoring at will. Since their humiliating 6-1 loss away at Villa Park, the home of Aston Villa, The Seagulls have struggled to pick up points, just ten points from the 24 available since their loss at Villa Park. Their recent form in their last five matches has been quite decent, having managed 1-1 draws away to Everton at Goodison Park and home to Sheffield United. Next was a trip to City Ground where The Seagulls got their much-needed wins against Nottingham Forest, holding on for the win despite going a man down in the 73rd minute. A narrow 3-2 loss at Stamford Bridge was followed by their second win in five games against a stubborn Brentford side.
As of the time of writing, Tottenham Hotspur is in 5th place on the Premier League table with 27 points, level on points with Manchester United who are behind only on goal difference, and three points off Manchester City who occupy 4th place with thirty points, while Brighton and Hove Albion sit in 8th place with 25 points.
Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs will be looking to their new club captain, Son for inspiration upfront while looking to dictate the pace of the game from the middle of the park. In contrast, De Zerbi’s Seagulls will look to build up play from behind and make good use of both flanks in the attacking third when they can, so this game promises to be a fascinating watch, especially for neutrals.
In terms of the head-to-head, both teams have played 15 matches. Tottenham Hotspur has dominated this fixture, winning 11 games (Total Goals 22), Brighton has won 3 (Total Goals 12) and drew 1.
Match tickets
The epic match at Tottenham Stadium in London kicks off on Saturday, 10th February 2024, at 3 PM UK time.
The magnificent 62,850-capacity stadium is the place to be for this clash between two enterprising Premier League sides.
Getting tickets for the Tottenham vs Brighton tickets could take a lot of work, given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur, known for their possession-heavy style of football, will be looking to control the game via the midfield with the experience and solidity of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, rejuvenated Bissouma and intelligent Lo Celso pulling the strings.
Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Lo Celso, Kulusevski, Johnson, Son.
Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton has been well-known for exhibiting brilliance in the build-up since the gaffer arrived last season. They play a flexible, entertaining, and attacking brand of football.
Brighton: Steele, Hinshelwood, Dunk, Van Hecke, Veltman, Grob, Baleba, Buonanotte, Adingra, Mitoma, Pedro.
Prediction
Both teams have experienced their fair share of struggles in this Premier League campaign, but Tottenham appears to have the upper hand in this fixture.
Tottenham 3-2 Brighton
