Brighton & Hove Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur
Brighton find themselves one place above the relegation zone with a little wriggle room as they look to secure Premier League football for a fifth successive year.
Achieving that aim would beat the club record set between 1979 and 1983 when they enjoyed four straight seasons in the then-Division One, while also reaching the FA Cup Final.
So can Brighton overcome clubs with much greater resources such as Tottenham and stay in the top-flight once again?
Talking Points
I have certainly been impressed with Graham Potter and his team this seasoneven if they have only won three of their 20 Premier League matches so far.
Win, lose, or draw they have been tenacious, particularly a few weeks ago as they overcame Leeds at Elland Road.
But I was also impressed by them earlier in the season when they dominated against Manchester United, hitting the woodwork five times and somehow going down to a last-gasp defeat.
Yet their winless run at home now extends to 14 games going back to last season, and that must be a worry.
10 of those matches have been this season and only Sunderland (18 in 2005-06), Crystal Palace (15 in 1997-98), and West Ham (12 in 2002-03) have had worse home starts.
All those sides were relegated in those respective campaigns.
During their goalless draw at Fulham in midweek, Brighton were described as well-drilled, neat, and orderly.And when they enter the box, they are deemed as utterly powderpuff.
That seems to have summed up perfectly the first half of their campaign.
As the Seagulls look to pull themselves away from the relegation zone, the threat of the drop could be more damaging for them than most.
It’s just been announced that turnover dropped to £132.9-Mcompared to £148.2-M in 2018-19, and there was an increase in losses to £67.2-M from £21.2-M.
Every club has indeed been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but some of the smaller ones have been hit particularly harder.
Despite announcing record losses for the 2019-20 season, club chairman Tony Bloom insists he will press on with his aim of establishing Brighton as a top 10 Premier League club.
Whether that goal can be achieved or not, Brighton will deserve many plaudits if they can beat the drop again.
Standing in their way this weekend is a side which has produced many Premier League 2021 highlights this season on the road, only going down to one defeat in nine away games.
However, it’s arguably a good time to play Spurs.
Manager José Mourinho has admitted Harry Kane could be out for a few weeks after the striker injured both of his ankles in last night’s defeat to Liverpool.
It was a damning night for the North Londoners who struggled without the England captain and made defensive errors for Liverpool’s goals.
I do believe Mourinho to be the best manager in the league but why he chose to leave both his best centre-backs on the bench in that game in Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez surprised me and I expect at least one of them to return for the trip to the south coast.
Whether Serge Aurier features is questionable. After being substituted at half-time on Thursday, he is understood not to have reacted well and the right-back did not stay to watch the second half.
Mourinho described an emotional scene during the interval and it will be interesting to see if the Ivory Coast international is included as Tottenham aim to bounce back.
History
Until the end of 2017, these sides had not met in the top-flight for 34 years.
Even once promoted, the Seagulls were largely second best against the North Londoners.
However, in this fixture last season, Brighton produced one of their best ever Premier League showings in an Aaron Connolly-inspired display which realistically brought Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure closer to an end.
They triumphed 3-0 thanks to a Connolly brace after Neal Maupay had opened the scoring.
It was Albion’s biggest-ever win versus Spurs and the first time they had scored three or more goals in a game against them since a 3-1 win in League Division Two in April 1978.
Since then, Spurs have triumphed 2-1 in both league meetings at home.
Harry Kane and Dele Alli netted in the first game, with a Kane penalty and a Gareth Bale goal responsible for their success in November.
Overall, Tottenham have won this match 16 times and there have been seven Brighton wins and eight draws.
Their very first meeting was a 2-2 draw in 1903 in the former Southern League.
Betting Tip
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Brighton & Hove Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur | Over 2.50 @ 2.03 |
| February 01, 03:15 (GMT+8) |
It’s Spurs all the way with the SBOTOP Premier League 2021 betting odds. The Lilywhites offer you 1X2 odds @ 2.13 and Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.14.
Brighton, by contrast, can be backed 1X2 @ 3.10 and Asian Handicap +0.50 @ 1.77.
What is the chance of a repeat of last season’s surprise convincing win? Well correct score 3-0 will pay out @ 70.00.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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