Bidding to win their fifth successive Premier League home game, Tottenham Hotspur welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Spurs threw away a pair of one-goal leads in a riveting 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park last weekend, which left them two points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa. They have won just one of their last four games in all competitions while conceding seven goals along the way—a form that should concern manager Ange Postecoglou.
The Lilywhites boss will expect a better performance from his boys against Brighton, who will head to north London with high spirits having beaten their M23 rivals Crystal Palace 4-1 last time out.
Tottenham Hotspur Team News
Ange Postecoglou has confirmed in his pre-match presser that Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma are both back from international duty and available for selection against Brighton. Giovani Lo Celso is also back in training but needs time before being a part of the squad.
Ryan Sessegnon is expected to remain out with a thigh problem, while Manor Solomon has suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury, meaning the winger is two to three weeks away from returning to action.
Predicted Tottenham Hotspur lineup vs Brighton (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Guglielmo Vicario has impressed in his debut campaign at Spurs so far but there remain doubts over his ability to deal with set-pieces, as witnessed in the 2-2 draw with Everton last weekend. Brighton could similarly target him from corners and free-kicks, so the Italian must stay strong and focused to keep a clean sheet.
Defence
Ange Postecoglou is expected to stick with the back four that started in the 2-2 draw with Everton, meaning Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro could all start.
Romero will pair up with Van de Ven in the heart of Spurs’ defence, hoping to keep the in-form forward Joao Pedro quiet. They will have the support of full-backs Udogie and Porro, who will provide width and energy to help Spurs in building attacks.
Midfield
Pape Sarr appeared as a substitute at Everton but could start alongside Rodrigo Bentancur in the middle of the park on Saturday. The duo will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure Brighton midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings.
In front of Sarr and Bentancur, James Maddison should take up the No.10 role. The England international will have the freedom to move anywhere on the pitch to create chances for the forwards. Despite being declared 100 per cent fit, Yves Bissouma should start on the bench.
Attack
Back from the Asian Cup duties, skipper Son Heung-min will surely go straight into the starting XI and join the front three alongside the in-form Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski. He and Kulusevski will take up the wide positions and hope to provide service in the box for Richarlison, whose confidence is sky-high at this moment.
Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson must settle for spots on the bench, hoping to make an impression when called upon by the manager.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
