Premier League: Tottenham and Brighton Both Have Their Sights in the Top Four

Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Tottenham are unlikely to win the Premier League this season, so they’re aiming for the next best thing, which is another top four finish. However, after being held to a 2-2 draw by Everton on Saturday, they have dropped to fifth place with 44 points.

On the other hand, Brighton are currently in eighth place and are aiming for a spot in Europe too. The Seagulls are fresh from a convincing 4-1 win against Crystal Palace last time out.

If Brighton beat Tottenham this weekend, there’s a chance that they can improve to seventh place since West Ham United are likely to lose to Arsenal.

This Premier League contest is the pick of the litter on matchday 24, and SBOTOP is here for the preview.

Talking Points

Key returns for Tottenham

Although Richarlison has been the man in form for Spurs, getting several key players back into the mix should further help in the team’s pursuit of a Champions League spot.

Heung-Min Son is set to return after South Korea suffered a shocking exit to Jordan in the AFC Asian Cup semi-finals. The Spurs skipper had been in fine form before his departure in early January, recording 12 goals and five assists to lead the squad.

As for Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Sarr, both of them should be ready to go after coming off the bench against Everton. This season, they have combined for seven goals and four assists.

In case you missed it, James Maddison has also been back since January 27 after being sidelined for several months due to a serious ankle injury he sustained against Chelsea on November 6, which was his longest injury hiatus ever.

The former Leicester City standout, who went to North London last summer, is one of the Spurs’ best playmakers, with three goals and six assists this season.

Another key Spurs player to look out for is Yves Bissouma, who has also returned to the squad following Mali’s exit from the AFCON, although he might not play on Saturday due to malaria.

Brighton need warm bodies

In contrast, Brighton are still dealing with an extensive list of absentees, as Joe Veltman, James Milner, Solly March, and Julio Enciso are all unavailable this weekend due to injuries.

And with Ivory Coast in the AFCON finals, this means that Simon Adingra, their third-leading scorer with five goals and three assists, is also out for this contest.

Meanwhile, the Seagulls should have Kaoru Mitoma back after Japan were eliminated earlier than expected in the AFC Asian Cup, and he will be a huge boon to their frontline.

Either way, Tottenham’s backline will have their hands full in dealing with Joao Pedro and Evan Ferguson since the two of them have combined for 25 goals and three assists so far this season.

History

Brighton managed to defeat Tottenham 4-2 in their reverse fixture, as Jack Hinshelwood, Joao Pedro (brace), and Pervis Estupinan all found the back of the net for the Seagulls before Alejo Veliz and Ben Davies scored the consolation goals for Spurs.

If Roberto De Zerbi’s boys win again this weekend, it’ll be the very first time that Brighton will record a league double over Spurs.

However, it’ll be easier said than done since Tottenham have won six of their last seven Premier League home matches against Brighton, with the lone loss being a 1-0 result in April 2022.

Premier League 2024 highlights are guaranteed in this contest, as Spurs have scored in each of their last 35 Premier League games (73 goals total) since losing 1-0 to Wolves in March 2023.

Betting Tip

Given their respective places in the English top-flight table, the Premier League 2024 odds are backing Tottenham to win at home on Saturday. The Spurs are 1.82 favourites, whereas Brighton are priced at 3.47, and a draw is at 3.80 in the 1X2 market.

However, we feel that this is going to be close and could go either way, especially with both teams boosted by the returns of their stars.

Instead of choosing the winner, we will go for another high-scoring game between these two sides. Other than our recommended bet above, you may also want to consider Total Goal 2-3 at 2.27 and Total Goals 4-6 at 2.28.

But if you fancy the Seagulls winning this one, then check out the Correct Score of 4-2 in their favour – the result of their reverse fixture – since it is on a whopping offer of 80.00.

 

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