Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups

The Seagulls were held to a 1-1 stalemate by historic rivals Crystal Palace in their last pre-Christmas affair, while Ange Postecoglou's men scraped a nervy 2-1 win over Everton.

Match preview

Those of an Arsenal persuasion are already familiar with late Danny Welbeck headers, having witnessed the England striker come up with a vital injury-time contribution against Leicester City during the Foxes' 2015-16 title-winning campaign, and the 33-year-old repeated the trick at Selhurst Park last week.

The circumstances may not have been as dramatic this time around, but Welbeck's 82nd-minute intervention was pivotal, as an earlier Jordan Ayew header put Palace on the cusp of triumphing over their long-time adversaries in the so-called M23 derby before the Brighton man also flaunted his aerial prowess.

Despite representing a marked improvement on their 2-0 loss to Arsenal, where Roberto De Zerbi admitted his side were simply overwhelmed for 90 minutes, a Selhurst Park point left Brighton ninth in the table on account of a three-game winless run in the division, although they cannot be plunged any further down the rankings before kickoff.

The temporary absence of Europa League football for a couple of months will be an incredibly welcome sight for De Zerbi and his coaching staff, who have only masterminded two Premier League wins from the Seagulls' last 12 matches as they become accustomed to juggling domestic and continental commitments.

The hosts' clean sheet-less run in the division also stands at an alarming 22 matches, and while a seven-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League provides a moderate injection of confidence, they have lost their last three games of the calendar year to London clubs, going down to Arsenal in 2020 and 2022 either side of being beaten by Chelsea in 2021.

The New Year omens are therefore encouraging for Thursday's visitors, who welcomed fellow form side Everton to their North London base over the weekend and were on course for an emphatic success courtesy of Richarlison and Son Heung-min's strikes inside the opening 20 minutes.

However, Sean Dyche's galvanised troops were not giving up the ghost that easily and reduced the arrears through Andre Gomes, but after a late Arnaut Danjuma effort cannoned off the crossbar and Guglielmo Vicario before bouncing to safety, Tottenham were triumphant come the full-time whistle.

Postecoglou reserved special praise for number one Vicario as Spurs survived an onslaught of Everton attacks, allowing them to leapfrog faltering champions Manchester City into fourth place in the Premier League table, although the newly-crowned Club World Cup champions do possess a game in hand.

Only a revitalised Bournemouth also won their last three top-flight games on the spin before Christmas Day, and Postecoglou's men will now endeavour to further consign their November plight to the past by doing something no previous Tottenham team has managed; win three matches in a row against Brighton.

Fourteen months ago, the formerly deadly Son-Harry Kane combination sunk Brighton in a 1-0 win for Tottenham, who also prevailed 2-1 on home turf later that year during the ill-fated reign of Cristian Stellini, who took the walk of shame in that game alongside De Zerbi following a dugout melee.

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:

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Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):

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Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

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Team News

With 83 minutes gone at Selhurst Park, Brighton lost tricky winger Kaoru Mitoma to a blow to the ankle, and while the severity of his concern remains unclear, he was seen leaving the stadium on crutches, raising fears about a potential long-term problem.

Neither Simon Adingra nor Carlos Baleba emerged for the second half of Brighton's draw with Palace, although those changes were tactical in nature from De Zerbi, who is sure to be without Solly March (knee), Pervis Estupinan (thigh), Julio Enciso (knee), Joel Veltman (knee), Ansu Fati (thigh), Tariq Lamptey (thigh) and Adam Webster (unspecified).

Should Mitoma indeed sit this one out, either Facundo Buonanotte or Adam Lallana should reinforce the Seagulls' attack, which should also comprise a refreshed Evan Ferguson despite Welbeck's crucial contribution last week.

As for Tottenham, both of Richarlison and Cristian Romero were unable to complete the full 90 against Everton due to a sore back and tight hamstring respectively, but the duo are thought to be in with good chances of shaking off their glitches in time for the trip south.

However, the same cannot be said for all of Manor Solomon (knee), Ivan Perisic (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Rodrigo Bentancur (ankle), James Maddison (ankle), Micky van de Ven (thigh) and Alfie Whiteman (ankle), while Yves Bissouma will serve the second of a four-match suspension.

In brighter disciplinary news, Destiny Udogie is eligible for selection after a one-game ban and is set to demote Emerson Royal to the bench, in spite of the Brazilian's admirable display at left-back against Brighton.

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Van Hecke, Dunk, Igor; Baleba, Gilmour; Adingra, Gross, Buonanotte; Ferguson

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Davies, Udogie; Skipp, Sarr; Johnson, Kulusevski, Son; Richarlison

We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Still displaying an affinity for both scoring and conceding in the top flight, Brighton can trouble a Spurs backline that was fortunate to only concede the one goal against Everton, especially with lingering concerns around the fitness of Romero.

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