Brighton & Hove Albion head into Saturday's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur having twice fought back from two-goal deficits to claim draws against Fulham and Southampton.
Spurs make the short trip to the Amex Stadium on the back of three successive defeats, two of which have been suffered having held winning positions.
Brighton & Hove Albion
© ReutersChris Hughton would have been hugely disappointed when his side succumbed tamely at Watford on the opening weekend of the season, and the Seagulls boss may have even begun to worry about his team struggling to match their achievements of the last campaign.
However, Brighton have been excellent since the setback at Vicarage Road, with victory over Manchester United and successive comeback draws being recorded during the past five weeks.
Hughton will not necessarily be impressed with his side's defending given that nine goals have been conceded in five matches, but he has been reassured about the character of his team heading into the next phase of the campaign.
The club's experienced manager has claimed that he would be satisfied with a 'boring' season if it meant that Brighton could retain their top-flight status for another 12 months, but that will not be the case unless the defence is tightened up in the coming weeks.
Brighton are yet to keep a clean sheet in six matches in all competitions this season, and the south coast outfit are yet to reach half time in a Premier League contest without conceding a goal.
The flipside to that is that a total of four goals have been scored in the final quarter of their last two outings, but two of those efforts have been penalties from Glenn Murray.
Brighton will not always be able to rely on the veteran salvaging points for the team in the closing stages, and with Manchester City to follow this weekend's clash with Spurs, it is imperative that some sort of order is restored at the back.
Hughton's team currently sit in 14th place in the standings, and although that will be deemed acceptable if it proves to be the club's finishing position in eight months' time, Hughton knows that his team have to improve to put together a season of consolidation.
Recent form: LWLDD
Recent form (all competitions): LWLLDD
Tottenham Hotspur
© ReutersMauricio Pochettino has looked unflappable throughout much of his reign at Spurs, but the Argentine showed signs of frustration with both his side's results and the media in the aftermath of Tuesday's defeat to Inter Milan.
Pochettino has faced frequent questions regarding his team selection after a summer without any first-team signings, and the Spurs boss has suggested that he took offence at being quizzed over the omissions of Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld.
The fitness levels of Harry Kane also remains a topic of conversation with the England international continuing to look below his best, and each factor is leading to Spurs needing their next win as soon as possible.
Three setbacks in a row - two of which have come having held leads well into the second half - have resulted in Spurs being left off the pace in both the Premier League and Champions League, and failure to beat Brighton could result in the club falling at least eight points off top spot.
Pochettino will still look to take the positives from his team's showing at San Siro, and he has every reason to do so, with Spurs nullifying the Italian giants for much of the game and creating several chances to wrap up three points before Mauro Icardi's wonder goal.
That said, there is little margin for error in the upper echelons of the sport and right now, Spurs are falling short in a number of key areas as they head into an important part of their season.
The Premier League fixture list is relatively kind to the North London outfit, but Spurs need to rediscover a decisive approach at both ends of the pitch before they entertain Barcelona at the start of next month.
More setbacks with the progression of the new stadium are also resulting in a dark cloud hanging over the club, but success at Brighton can go a long way to getting Spurs back on the right track.
Recent form: WWWLL
Recent form (all competitions): WWWLLL
Team News
© ReutersPochettino is expected to hand immediate recalls to both Trippier and Alderweireld, who could replace Serge Aurier and Davinson Sanchez.
Spurs have also revealed that both Dele Alli and Moussa Sissoko are in contention, having returned to training after hamstring problems.
Kane is likely to remain in the side, but there will be no place for Hugo Lloris who is continuing his rehabilitation from a thigh injury.
Danny Rose and Victor Wanyama will both hope to make a start, as will Harry Winks who featured against Liverpool last weekend.
Hughton may decide to keep with the same side which secured a 2-2 draw at St Mary's on Monday night.
Jurgen Locadia and Alireza Jahanbakhsh could both be considered for starting roles should Hughton opt to add more creativity in the final third.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bong; Knockart, Stephens, Propper, Bissouma, March; Murray
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vorm; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Dembele; Moura, Eriksen, Son; Kane
Head To Head
Saturday's meeting represents the 27th competitive clash between the two clubs, with Spurs registering 12 victories in comparison to six wins for Brighton.
The teams have met on just four occasions since 1983, with Spurs recording three triumphs and a draw during that period.
The stalemate between the sides came as recently as April, when a 1-1 draw was played out at the Amex Stadium.
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
The odds of Brighton registering three successive 2-2 draws are extremely high, but logic suggests that there is every chance of that scoreline this weekend. Spurs need to provide a positive response to their latest setback, but Brighton relish the chance to take on the top clubs on the south coast.
