Tottenham Hotspur return home on Saturday evening as they take on Brighton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
This Premier League match kicks off at 5:30pm (GMT) and is available to watch live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Brighton
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1) – Antonin Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall; Randal Kolo Muani, Xavi Simons, Mathys Tel; Dominic Solanke
Roberto De Zerbi takes charge of his first home game following his Tottenham appointment earlier this month. Coincidentally, it comes against former side Brighton.
Spurs are in a spot of bother heading into Saturday’s clash, and that’s putting it lightly. A 1-0 loss to Sunderland combined with results elsewhere not going their way means the north London side are 18th, two points off safety.
Mired on a 14-game winless run, the welcome of Brighton comes at a bad time, too. The Seagulls have won five of their last six in their pursuit of European football.
Last week’s 2-0 win at Burnley means Brighton are one point off seventh, and six off fifth. A top-five finish would be enough to secure Champions League football next season.
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Tottenham team news vs Brighton
De Zerbi lost captain Cristian Romero to a season-ending knee injury at Sunderland last week to compound Spurs’ miserable campaign.
With Mohammed Kudus also ruled out until the summer, the Italian’s quest to guide Spurs to safety becomes significantly harder.
Elsewhere, Guglielmo Vicario is unlikely to return for the Brighton clash, with next week’s trip to Wolves pencilled in for his first game back following a hernia operation. James Maddison is edging closer to a return, though he won’t be rushed back after last year’s ACL injury.
Dejan Kulusevski remains a long-term absentee, as do Wilson Odobert and Ben Davies.
There is a positive for De Zerbi, however, with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur back in training ahead of the Brighton clash.
Time to call on Tel
Despite admitting that he tried to sign Mathys Tel during his time as Marseille boss, De Zerbi opted to start the Frenchman on the bench at the Stadium of the Light.
It wasn’t necessarily a move that backfired. Richarlison, for his faults, is a hard worker. He puts himself about, but the lack of cutting edge was telling.
What’s more, the Brazilian is anything but a left winger. Options are thin on the ground for De Zerbi, but he can help himself and boost Spurs’ survival hopes by calling on Tel.
The 20-year-old hasn’t exactly set the world alight during his 18 months in the capital. A lack of regular game time has robbed him of the chance to build up consistency.
Crucially, though, is that he looks a player who genuinely cares whether Spurs retain their Premier League status. The same can’t be said of other mercenaries at the club who, in all likelihood, will likely move on this summer regardless of the division Spurs will be playing in.
Tel ranks top for chances created (2) and completed take ons per 90 (2.9) of all Spurs players. De Zerbi needs to use the youngster to boost their bid to beat the drop.
