Spotlight on... Brighton

We return to Premier League action on Saturday lunchtime as we make the trip to Brighton & Hove Albion (kick-off 12.30pm).

Last season we completed the double over the Seagulls with a 2-1 win on the south coast in September, 2018, before we secured a 1-0 victory at our new stadium in April.

So ahead of our visit to Sussex, we put Brighton under the spotlight...

Team news

Midfielders Solly March and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, as well as defender Leon Balogun, will all be back in contention for Brighton on Saturday after respective injuries.

Shane Duffy (calf), Bernardo and Leandro Trossard, however, remain unavailable for the Seagulls while Dutch international Davy Pröpper (hamstring) faces a late fitness test ahead of the game.

Brighton’s form

Under new manager Graham Potter, the Seagulls made a strong start to the season as they defeated Watford 3-0 on the opening day before securing a point against West Ham in their second outing. However, in their last five games, Brighton have only picked up two points and scored just a single goal in that period.

New faces

During the summer transfer period, Brighton bolstered their defence with the signing of central defender Adam Webster from Bristol City while they also moved to bring in midfielder Aaron Mooy from Huddersfield. Boss Potter also added further attacking options with the transfers of winger Leandro Trossard from Genk while centre-forward Neal Maupay joined from Brentford.

Leader of the opposition

Now in his 10th season in management, but his first in the Premier League, it has been a remarkable rise to the English top flight for Graham Potter.

Having started his coaching career at Swedish outfit Ostersunds in December, 2010, the Solihull-born former Birmingham, Stoke, Southampton and West Brom left-back spent eight years in the Nordic nation and, during that time, he guided his team all the way up from the fourth tier to play in Sweden's highest division, the Allsvenskan, for the first time in the Club’s history.

In 2017, Potter made history again as he led Ostersunds to their first ever Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup) which also saw them qualify for the Europa League, where they reached the knockout phase in 2018. The following June, he joined Swansea before taking up his new position in Sussex in May, 2019.

Last five meetings

23 April, 2019 – Spurs 1-0 Brighton – Premier League
22 September, 2018 – Brighton 1-2 Spurs – Premier League
17 April, 2018 – Brighton 1-1 Spurs – Premier League
13 December, 2017 – Spurs 2-0 Brighton – Premier League
29 October, 2014 – Spurs 2-0 Brighton – League Cup, fourth round

The numbers game

4 – We remain unbeaten in the Premier League against Brighton after four meetings in the division (W3 D1).

6 – In fact, we haven’t suffered defeat to the Seagulls in all competitions since 1983, a six-game unbeaten run.

1 – Brighton have lost just one of their last 19 matches in October (W10 D8 L1).

8 – The Seagulls are winless in their last eight Premier League games at the AMEX Stadium (D3 L5).

9 – Our last nine Premier League goals have all come in the first half. The last time we scored after the break was in our 2-2 draw with Manchester City in August.

Played for both

During his seven years at White Hart Lane, former England international Gary Stevens made 200 appearances for us and helped lift the UEFA Cup in 1984.

A versatile footballer, predominantly a defender but also able to play in midfield, Gary joined us from the Seagulls in the summer of 1983, where he had come through the youth system before becoming a regular in the first team.

In his first season with us came European glory and he certainly played his part in our success as he started both legs of the final against Anderlecht. We went on to triumph against the Belgian side at the Lane on penalties (4-3), with Gary firing in the third of our four successful spot-kicks.

Before moving to Portsmouth in 1990, the defender also helped us reach the 1987 FA Cup Final.

Quiz

1. Who scored the winner in our last meeting with Brighton in the Premier League – a 1-0 triumph at our new home in April?

• Heung-Min Son
• Christian Eriksen
• Lucas Moura

2. In which year did we last suffer defeat to Brighton?

• 1983
• 1993
• 2003

3. After arriving from Brighton in 2003, Bobby Zamora spent one season with us before joining which fellow London-based outfit?

• West Ham United
• Fulham
• QPR

4. Who was Brighton’s manager when we last met outside of the Premier League – a League Cup fourth round encounter in October, 2014?

• Gus Poyet
• Chris Hughton
• Sami Hyypia

5. Who scored our first-ever Premier League goal against Brighton in December, 2017?

• Harry Kane
• Heung-Min Son
• Serge Aurier

Answers revealed at the bottom of the page.

Pictures from the past

Match data

Venue – AMEX Stadium.

Opposition colours – Blue and white striped shirts, blue shorts, white socks.

Referee – Jonathan Moss.

Weather forecast – Mostly cloudy, 12 degrees.

Answers: 1 – Christian Eriksen; 2 – 1983, 3 – West Ham United; 4 – Sami Hyypia; 5 – Serge Aurier.