Brighton vs Tottenham Hotspur Live
Preview
Two entertaining sides will face off at the Amex Stadium on Thursday night, as Brighton host Tottenham Hotspur. Brighton drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace in their last game before Christmas, while Ange Postecoglou’s team narrowly won 2-1 against Everton.
Danny Welbeck came up clutch for Brighton at Selhurst Park last week. Welbeck’s 82nd-minute goal was important, as Jordan Ayew had put Crystal Palace on the verge of victory with an earlier header. Despite an improvement from their 2-0 loss to Arsenal, Brighton’s draw at Selhurst Park left them in ninth place in the table due to a three-game winless streak.
The temporary break from Europa League football will be a relief for Brighton’s coaching staff, who have only managed two Premier League wins in their last 12 matches while balancing domestic and continental commitments. Brighton’s 22-match run without a clean sheet in the division is concerning, and although they have a seven-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League, they have lost their last three games of the year to London clubs.
The New Year signs are positive for the visitors who hosted Everton at their North London home over the weekend. They were on track for a strong victory with goals from Richarlison and Son Heung-min in the first 20 minutes. However, Sean Dyche’s team didn’t give up easily and managed to reduce the deficit with a goal from Andre Gomes. Despite a late effort from Arnaut Danjuma hitting the crossbar and Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham emerged victorious at full-time.
Postecoglou praised Vicario for his performance as Spurs defended against Everton’s attacks, allowing them to move into fourth place in the Premier League table. However, the newly-crowned Club World Cup champions, Man City, pushed them down to fifth with their own win over Everton on Wednesday. Only Bournemouth also won their last three top-flight games before Christmas, and Postecoglou’s team will now aim to put their November struggles behind them by achieving something no previous Tottenham team has done: win three matches in a row against Brighton.
Head-to-head
Tottenham has emerged victorious in four of the last five encounters with Brighton. Additionally, they have a strong track record at The Amex, having won 7, drawn 1, and lost only 3 of their last 11 matches against Brighton at that venue.
Prediction
Despite continuing to show a tendency to both score and give up goals in the Premier League, Brighton has the potential to challenge Tottenham’s defense, which was lucky to only allow one goal against Everton. However, Brighton’s medical staff have also not had a break during the festive period, and with De Zerbi’s team still vulnerable defensively, Postecoglou’s team can respond aggressively to come out on top.
