Spurs and Brighton Look to Keep European Hopes Alive in Huge Premier League Clash
Brighton & Hove Albion travel to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday, with both sides looking to keep their European hopes alive. The fixture is one of five 3pm kick-offs in the top flight on Saturday, with Manchester City v Everton beginning proceedings before Newcastle United travel to Nottingham Forest in the 5:30pm kick-off.
As we head towards the business end of the season, both sides currently sit within touching distance of European qualification, albeit at different levels of the European pyramid. Spurs currently sit fifth in the Premier League and just one point behind Aston Villa in fourth. On the other hand, Brighton sit eighth but just three points behind Manchester United in sixth.
With Aston Villa and Manchester United facing off on Sunday, a positive result for either side could push them into the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League spots, respectively.
Looking Into the Form Guide
Tottenham Hotspur
After a woeful run of results in November, Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs side have really regained their form lately. The 4-2 loss to Brighton in December remains Spurs’ only defeat in their past eight Premier League games.
In their most recent game, Spurs found themselves on the receiving end of a last-minute equaliser at Everton in a 2-2 draw. However, their performance was still largely impressive and Postecoglou will be looking to translate that into three points this weekend.
Brighton & Hove Albion
The Seagulls have only won five of their last 17 Premier League fixtures, but that only tells half of the story. Roberto De Zerbi’s side have equally only lost five out of those fixtures, with defeats to Manchester City, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Arsenal and Luton Town.
There were some serious warning signs in their 4-0 capitulation at Luton Town two weeks ago, but the Seagulls bounced back with an impressive 4-1 victory over rivals Crystal Palace. This weekend’s game promises goals, with Brighton scoring four or more goals in four of their last seven games across all competitions.
Ones to Watch:
Richarlison
The Spurs striker has been in sensational form since his return from injury before Christmas. With nine goals in his last 10 appearances across all competitions, you can certainly expect Richarlison to cause Brighton’s shaky backline some problems on Saturday.
Richarlison has scored 10 goals and assisted a further three across 20 appearances in the Premier League so far this season. That’s just three goals below his record in a single Premier League season, with 13 for Everton in the seasons 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Joao Pedro
From one Brazilian striker to another, Brighton’s Joao Pedro has truly proved his worth since his £30 million move from Watford in the summer. Pedro has had a remarkable season so far, with 19 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions this season.
The 22-year-old has gone under the radar for the Seagulls, but they will be hoping for more of the same to avoid interest from any of the top clubs. In his last five appearances across all competitions, Pedro has scored six goals, including a hat-trick against Sheffield United in the FA Cup.
James Maddison
The 27-year-old attacking midfielder was in sensational form before picking up an injury that sidelined him for several months. In his two appearances since his return to the starting lineup, Spurs’ attacking play has stepped up to a whole new level, with his link-up with Richarlison starting to look promising.
Before his injury, Maddison racked up three goals and six assists in 13 appearances for Spurs and has since chipped in with another assist in the 2-2 draw with Everton last weekend. If Spurs are to make it into the UEFA Champions League at the end of the season, there’s no doubt that Maddison will have played a huge part in that success.
Score Prediction:
I’m predicting a chaotic game between two sides that are heavily reliant on their attacking play. Since the injury to Micky Van De Ven, Spurs’ defence has looked incredibly weak, whilst Brighton have only kept three clean sheets in the Premier League so far this season.
There’ll be plenty of goals and cards in this one, I reckon. Therefore, I’m going to back Spurs’ home crowd to just drag them over the line in this one.
Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
