· Last season's game - Brighton 3 Spurs 0, 05.10.19
· This season's home game - Spurs 2 Brighton 1, 01.11.20
· Premier League Matchday 21 - last year
· See the current injury list for all Premier League Teams
· All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats

Full League Record of Spurs -v- Brighton
 
Prem          Pl   W   D   L   For- Ag  Pts
Home           4   4   0   0    7 -  2  12
Away           3   1   1   1    3 -  5   4
==========================================
Total(Prem)    7   5   1   1   10 -  7  16  Pts per game 2.28
==========================================
Football Lge   
Home(Div 1)    4   2   1   1    6 -  4   6
Away(Div 1)    4   3   0   1    8 -  3   7
==========================================
Total(Div 1)   8   5   1   2   14 -  7  13
==========================================
Football Lge
Home(Div 2)    1   0   1   0    0 -  0   1
Away(Div 2)    1   0   0   1    1 -  3   0
==========================================
Total(Div 2)   2   0   1   1    1 -  3   1 
==========================================
Total(Prem)    7   5   1   1   10 -  7  16
Total(Div 1)   8   5   1   2   14 -  7  13
Total(Div 2)   2   0   1   1    1 -  3   1   
==========================================
Grand Total   17  10   3   4   25 - 17  30
==========================================

Last Six Premier League results:-

Brighton   -    DLDLWD

West Ham   2-2    Brighton
Brighton   0-1    Arsenal
Brighton   3-3    Wolves
Man City   1-0    Brighton
Leeds      0-1    Brighton
Brighton   0-0    Fulham

Spurs      -    LDWDWL
           
Spurs      0-2    Leicester
Wolves     1-1    Spurs
Spurs      3-0    Leeds
Spurs      1-1    Fulham
Sheff Utd  1-3    Spurs
Spurs      1-3    Liverpool

Pos            P  W  D  L   F-A   GD  Pts
 6. Spurs     19  9  6  4  34-20  14   33
17. Brighton  20  3  9  8  22-29  -7   18

Back to the scene of a previous disaster

After the worst performance of this season so far, we return to the scene of our worst performance last season. Not that you really need reminding it all started so badly in the third minute when our goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris made an awful mistake when he misjudged a deep cross by Pascal Gross from the left that fell just under the goalkeeper’s bar. Hugo should have tipped the ball over, but he was falling with the ball in his hands and had to drop the ball as he fell behind the line. Maupay had an easy job in mopping up his gifted goal, but Hugo was in obvious pain, crumpled within his goal. There was a lengthy delay as our captain received treatment which included oxygen being given. I understand that poor Hugo was screaming in his agony as he was stretchered off and taken down the players’ tunnel.

Hugo’s obvious distress must have upset the equilibrium of the team who went on to concede two more goals which were scored by Aaron Connolly. Connolly didn’t score another goal until the last post lockdown game of the season against Burnley in July. This result was achieved against a strong spurs team which included Harry Kane, who took Hugo’s armband. Hugo would not play again until late January last year, by which time we were missing Kane.

Now we must travel to The Amex Stadium for tomorrow evening’s game (it kicks off at 7.15pm on Sky) without our talisman, who must wait at least two weeks for his chance to emulate Bobby Smith’s 208 club goals. There has been no confirmation at the time of writing about the extent of Harry’s injury, but I have seen a report suggesting he might return in two weeks, perhaps sooner that Jose Mourinho indicated after the Liverpool game. I am writing this preview before any official team news, but we know we will also miss Sergio Reguilon, whose pace and skill at both ends of the pitch has been such a positive influence this season. Lo Celso and Dele are also still not available. It remains to be seen whether Serge Aurier appears after he stomped off home when he was substituted at half-time. I would have thought that some form of club discipline is both required and justified, but I’ll be honest, I have more faith in Aurier at right back than Doherty.

Maybe Japhet Tanganga will get a game tomorrow? One thing I do hope is that Jose dispenses with three at the back against a Brighton side that sits fourth from bottom, and that has not won a home Premier League game since June last year. That win was against Arsenal. The “Seagulls” have now played 13 home games in all competitions. The only games they’ve won have been against lower league opposition in the cups. That amounts to two wins against Portsmouth in September and last week against Blackpool in the FA Cup. That last win was a tight scoreline – 2-1.

Brighton manager Graham Potter decided in mid-December that Mat Ryan was no longer his number one goalkeeper. 28-year-old Ryan, an Australian international, has now gone on loan to Arsenal to back up Leno. Brighton’s first choice keeper now is 23-year-old Robert Sanchez, a Spanish national who has been with the club since 2015, having initially played for Levante at junior level. Sanchez made his Premier League debut against Spurs in November, and his been number one for Brighton’s last 8 games. He has kept three clean sheets – two of which have been in his last two games.

Our goals in that November game came courtesy of a Harry Kane penalty and the “Real” connection. Gareth Bale scored his first goal of this second spell with Tottenham and Reguilon had been the provider. Brighton’s goal was scored by the impressive and exciting full back Tariq Lamptey, who has been out since mid-December with a thigh injury. Lamptey was a good signing for Brighton last January from Chelsea and I am sure other clubs will be monitoring his progress closely – Spurs included, I hope! Another of Brighton’s absentees will be Danny Welbeck, who has a knee injury. Welbeck was signed last summer from Watford, but he’s made few appearances and scored just two goals.

Despite their lowly position, Jose Mourinho will recognise all too clearly that Brighton are not to be under-estimated. Goals have generally been hard for them to come by, but Neil Maupay has seven league goals to his name, most recently an important winner at Leeds. They have strong defenders, such as captain Lewis Dunk and Ben White, who was on loan at Leeds last season. Brighton have conceded only one league goal in their last three games, and that was away to Manchester City. Our nemesis in that last away game, Aaron Connolly, has not played since the beginning of January. Players to look out for coming forward will be the Belgian Leandro Trossard and Pascal Gross. Adam Lallana, who returned to the south coast from Liverpool last summer, has been in and out of the side, and also has not played since 2nd January.

Who will lead the line for Spurs? Surely Carlos Vinicius has to be given his first Premier League start against this side. Son would be better acting from the wing, and also as a provider. Jose has a dilemma over who he starts on the right. Personally, I’d go for Lucas Moura, who will be itching to go. Working back, I would definitely play Sissoko and Hojbjerg behind Ndombele. I won’t second guess the back four, and my preference at the end of the day is an irrelevance, because the manager picks the team! My optimistic prediction (perhaps even more irrelevant) is a 2-0 win for Spurs!

This will be only the third Spurs game Peter Bankes has refereed for Spurs. We first met him in the middle in our drawn away FA Cup game against Southampton last January. Mr. Bankes only other Spurs game this season was the home draw against Newcastle. The officials' grading of only two out of ten was severely affected by the controversial award of a late Newcastle penalty for a handball decision against Eric Dier that would no longer be upheld after subsequent revision of advice to officials.

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