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Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion: 23/04/2019 – match preview and predicted starting XIs

Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Date: 23/04/2019

K/O: 19:45

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

TV: Sky Sports Main Event

Referee: Chris Kavanagh

Relegation-battling Brighton travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in midweek having not scored a goal in over a month.

With Tottenham’s biggest test in the Premier League now out of the way, Pochettino’s attention turns to their remaining fixtures, all of which seem extremely winnable. Three of these matches will be at their new stadium, a venue that has already been blessed with three victories. There is absolutely no room for complacency for there next match however, as Brighton have survival on their minds.

Luckily for Spurs, luck was not on the side of those chasing the top four positions, meaning that the team were able to drop points to Manchester City on the weekend without leaving the Champions League places. Comparing Tottenham’s remaining matches with the rest of the pack, you’d imagine that the Lilywhites have the best chance of securing Champions League status next season, and a hard-fought victory against Brighton would be the best way to inspire a consistent end to the campaign.

Another Harry Kane injury has again mostly failed to deter the rest of the squad and Son has stepped back into the limelight to show why he is almost certainly Tottenham’s best player this season. However, with two Champions League legs intertwined with their remaining league fixtures, Pochettino may need to plan ahead and perhaps rest the South Korean for at least some of the Brighton match.

But Brighton could prove to be Spurs’ most testing league match for the rest of the campaign, and indeed could be a turning point for their confidence. The same could be said for Brighton, although their remaining fixtures also include Arsenal and Manchester City. Even as much as a point against Tottenham could provide a huge boost to their survival hopes – a win would all but seal the deal.

We can probably expect to see a Brighton team out to get the 0-0 draw and the valuable point just as they did against Wolves last time out. The plan worked a treat against Wolves on the weekend, but replicating such a result is a completely different prospect at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Wolves are specialists in the giant slaying, not fly swatting.

The defensive pairing of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy will no doubt be called upon a number of times on Tuesday evening just as they were against Wolves on Saturday. They did a fine job to keep a clean sheet against an attacking side, and will need to produce even better against a more clinical team with a ruthless edge when it comes to bottom-half opposition.

Team News

Tottenham Hotspur

Harry Kane’s ankle injury means that he will likely be out for the rest of the season. A clash with Fabian Delph resulted in the Englishman limping off in the Champions League two weeks ago.

One of Tottenham’s most improved players, Moussa Sissoko, was handed an injury blow in the second leg of the Champions League quarter final, and it is likely that Pochettino will want to risk the Frenchman’s return against Brighton.

Fellow countryman Hugo Lloris, who handed his place over to Gazzaniga against City on the weekend, also remains a slight doubt. Erik Lamela has an ongoing injury that could also force him out of Pochettino’s plans, while Harry Winks doesn’t look to set return to the action either due to a groin injury.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Chris Hughton mostly has a complete squad out for selection, although Propper’s injury against Wolves could be a huge blow and will likely keep him out of this midweek game.

Knockaert will also not feature, playing out his last match of a three-game ban for a horrendous tackle in their 5-0 defeat versus Bournemouth.

Predicted Starting XIs

Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-1-2): Lloris; Alderweireld, Sanchez, Foyth; Davies, Alli, Wanyama, Walker-Peters; Eriksen; Son, Lucas

Brighton & Hove Albion (4-4-1-1): Ryan; Bernardo, Dunk, Duffy, Bruno; Jahanbakhsh, Kayal, Stephens, March; Gross; Andone

Score Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 0

Brighton will by no means make it easy for Spurs, but the Seagulls will likely do little but defend their goal for much of the match. Due to Spurs’ first-half lethargy this season, we could see Brighton hold on for a good portion, but may buckle under the pressure in the end.

Harry Mahon

90maat's team correspondent for Tottenham Hotspur, graduate of Loughborough University and current student at the University of Surrey.

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