On the hunt for a fifth successive Premier League home victory, Tottenham Hotspur welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to their North London home on Saturday afternoon.
The Lilywhites threw away a pair of one-goal leads in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Everton last weekend, while the Seagulls soared to a 4-1 victory over M23 derby foes Crystal Palace.
Match preview
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Red-hot Tottenham attacker and erstwhile Everton boy Richarlison cut a particularly sorrowful figure as he struck twice at his former stomping ground last weekend, but the expressions on the faces of his Lilywhites teammates were just as glum come full time on Merseyside.
The Brazil international beat Jordan Pickford all ends up with two exquisite finishes either side of an unorthodox Jack Harrison leveller in the first half, and with four minutes of injury time gone, Tottenham were undone from another set piece as Jarrad Branthwaite nodded in a last-gasp leveller from close range.
The Toffees' first goal was shrouded in a thick cloud of controversy, as Guglielmo Vicario - whom Everton were targeting time and time again from corners - felt that he was being illegally impeded by Harrison, leading Ange Postecoglou to question officials' "reluctance" to blow for perceived fouls on goalkeepers in his post-game press conference.
A similar incident befell the North London crop in their FA Cup loss to Manchester City, and with Aston Villa pummelling Sheffield United 5-0 later in the day, Tottenham have slipped down to fifth place in the Premier League table, albeit just two points behind the Lions, whom they will overtake with a win before Unai Emery's team battle Manchester United on Sunday.
Winning just one of their last four matches while conceding seven goals along the way hardly makes for pleasant reading for the Lilywhites faithful, nor does the fact that they have not kept a Premier League clean sheet at home since October, but each of their last four Tottenham Hotspur Stadium top-flight fixtures has ended in victory.
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Scoring in a 36th consecutive Premier League game would also see Tottenham match the second-longest streak in the competition's history, although Brighton needed no attacking lessons when they hosted the Lilywhites in December, nor when long-time adversaries Crystal Palace paid a visit last weekend.
No Eberechi Eze and no Michael Olise - barring a brief nine-minute cameo before injury struck once again - meant no fun for the Eagles at the Amex Stadium, where Lewis Dunk, Jack Hinshelwood, Facundo Buonanotte and Joao Pedro all made the net bulge in a delightful derby day for the men in blue and white.
Responding perfectly to their harrowing 4-0 beating at the hands of Luton Town, Brighton - in spite of their well-documented inconsistency - still have Europe in their sights as they lie eighth in the rankings, just one point behind West Ham United in the seventh and final continental position.
The thrashing of Palace continued a peculiar goalscoring run for Roberto De Zerbi's men, though, as they have alternated from netting at least four goals in one game to drawing a blank in the next over their past seven fixtures - a bad omen for the more superstitious Seagulls supporters heading up to the capital this weekend.
Going winless in five top-flight games on the road - as well as failing to find the net in each of their last two - also serves to diminish the confidence of the visitors, and while they put four past Spurs on the South Coast in December, they have never beaten the Lilywhites in consecutive league fixtures.
Team News
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With South Korea and Mali eliminated from the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations respectively, Tottenham should be boosted by the returns of captain Son Heung-min and ex-Brighton man Yves Bissouma for the visit of Brighton, and Postecoglou has confirmed that both are fit to start.
Giovani Lo Celso's thigh problem might clear up in time for the Argentine to be involved too, but Ryan Sessegnon is expected to remain out with a similar concern, while Manor Solomon has suffered a setback in his recuperation from knee surgery and is still in the care of the medical team.
Son's return will spell danger for Timo Werner's place in the XI, despite some bright flashes from the RB Leipzig loanee in the past few weeks, while Dejan Kulusevski should earn a recall to the starting lineup over Brennan Johnson, who lasted just over an hour at Goodison Park.
Brighton should welcome an effervescent attacker of their own back to domestic action this weekend in the shape of Japan's Kaoru Mitoma, who recovered from an ankle injury to feature in his side's final two Asian Cup fixtures.
However, fellow winger Simon Adingra is gearing up to represent Ivory Coast in the AFCON final against Nigeria, while knee victims Julio Enciso, Solly March and Joel Veltman remain out of contention alongside James Milner (thigh) and Joao Pedro (hamstring).
On-loan Barcelona attacker Ansu Fati made his return from a calf injury as a late substitute in the crushing of Palace, but it would be a surprise to see De Zerbi - serving a touchline ban this weekend - make any alterations to a winning side, barring Fati or Mitoma's possible recalls in place of the stricken Pedro.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Hojbjerg; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Richarlison
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Van Hecke, Igor, Dunk; Hinshelwood, Gross, Gilmour, Lamptey; Buonanotte, Mitoma; Ferguson
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Whether Brighton's thumping of Palace is the catalyst for a consistent run remains to be seen, but the Seagulls have failed to follow up a prolific display with an equally dominant showing over the past few weeks, and their attacking exploits on the road leave a lot to be desired.
Tottenham are still prone to the odd defensive lapse at home and are yet to march to a truly convincing win in 2024, but with a taste for wins at home and the return of Son providing quite the fillip, Postecoglou's free-scoring unit should still emerge triumphant.
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Ben Knapton
