Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to recover from their disheartening Europa League defeat to Royal Antwerp when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to North London for Sunday's Premier League showdown.
Meanwhile, the visitors make the journey to the capital aiming to end a four-game winless streak in the top flight following two losses and two draws in the past few weeks.
Match preview
© Reuters
Tottenham made a number of expected changes for their trip to Belgium to take on Royal Antwerp, but not even the re-introduction of Gareth Bale to the starting lineup could prevent Jose Mourinho's men from falling to defeat on the night.
A Ben Davies error allowed Antwerp to steal the ball back and Lior Refaelov lashed home to give the home side the win, as Spurs succumbed to their first defeat on the road since July in spite of the fact that Mourinho made four tactical changes at half time.
However, Tottenham have fared better in the Premier League and are now looking to record their second triumph on the bounce following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Burnley last time out, with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min combining once more to propel Spurs to victory at Turf Moor in gameweek six.
The deadly duo have linked up for nine of Spurs' 16 goals thus far this season - the most in the league - with Kane assisting Son seven times while the Korea captain has set up for the England captain twice in the top flight, and the Lilywhites will be pinning their hopes on the prolific partners as they search for their first home win of the Premier League season.
Tottenham's last league outing on familiar territory saw Mourinho's men throw away a 3-0 lead to West Ham in the final 10 minutes, and Spurs have also lost to Everton and drawn with Newcastle United at home thus far, but Mourinho's side will feel confident of prevailing against a Brighton side enduring an underwhelming start to proceedings.
© Reuters
It is still far too soon to be discussing potential promotion and relegation candidates, but Brighton's early-season results are certainly not filling the Seagulls faithful with confidence heading into the winter months.
Graham Potter's men have only mustered one win from their opening six Premier League games - a 3-0 triumph over Newcastle United back in September - and Brighton were unable to overcome newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion as the Baggies held the Seagulls to a 1-1 draw last time out.
Karlan Grant rescued a point for the visitors after a Jake Livermore own goal gave Brighton the lead on the day, with that stalemate at the Amex Stadium representing Brighton's second 1-1 draw on the bounce after being held at Crystal Palace by the same scoreline in gameweek five.
Brighton have held their own in the Premier League since earning promotion and already boast 10 goals for the season - the highest in the bottom eight - but results must improve if the Seagulls are to create some breathing space between themselves and the dotted line over the coming months.
Spurs took the spoils 2-1 in this fixture last season, but Brighton stormed to a 3-0 victory on familiar territory back in October 2019 - their only Premier League win over Tottenham to date.
Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form: LWDWDW
Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions): WWDWWL
Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form: LWLLDD
Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions): WLLLDD
Team News
© Reuters
Tottenham welcomed Serge Aurier and Steven Bergwijn back to the fold against Antwerp, meaning that Mourinho's solitary injury concern is Japhet Tanganga, but the defender could return to action in the coming weeks.
Bergwijn was one of four players who lasted just 45 minutes against Antwerp, with Dele Alli, Carlos Vinicius and Giovani Lo Celso all taken off at half time, and Mourinho will make significant alterations for Sunday's visit of Brighton.
Indeed, Hugo Lloris and Sergio Reguilon may be the only two players who retain their places in the starting lineup, with Son, Kane, Lucas Moura and Tanguy Ndombele all set to return to the first XI.
Brighton are not so fortunate with injuries, as Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Florin Andone and Jose Izquierdo are on the treatment table, while Lewis Dunk is suspended.
However, Potter has confirmed that Davy Propper is making good progress in his recovery from an Achilles problem and could feature this weekend, albeit probably not from the first whistle.
Potter could very well stick with the same XI from the draw with West Brom, which would mean another start in midfield for the much-coveted Ben White.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Doherty, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon; Sissoko, Hojbjerg; Lucas, Ndombele, Son; Kane
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Webster, Burn, Veltman; Lamptey, White, Bissouma, March; Lallana, Trossard; Maupay
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Even though Brighton's results make for somewhat bleak reading, Potter's men have not been playing all that badly whatsoever, but they are facing an uphill battle to make the trip back down to the South Coast with something to show from this one. Spurs have a point to prove following their European disappointment and will welcome some of their big-hitters back to the starting lineup, so we expect Mourinho's men to get the job done on Sunday.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:dataVideo prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
