Notebook – Brighton vs Spurs

We return to Premier League action this evening as we make the trip to Brighton & Hove Albion (kick-off 5.30pm UK).

Ahead of the match, here are all the game’s key points of note…

1 - For Gian Piero

Following Thursday’s sad news of the passing of Gian Piero Ventrone, we will be paying our respects to our late fitness coach ahead of the game at the Amex Stadium.

Our squad will warm up in t-shirts that pay tribute to Gian Piero, while players on both sides will wear black armbands as a mark of respect. There will also be a minute's applause ahead of kick-off.

2 - Our last trip to the Amex

It was a fine night for us last time out at the Amex as we overcame Brighton 2-0 in March. A ground we hadn’t tasted victory at since September, 2018, we travelled to the south coast looking to get our fight for a Champions League spot back on track having fallen 3-2 to Manchester United four days earlier.

It was a slow start for us against the Seagulls but, after Cristian Romero opened his Spurs goalscoring account on 37 minutes, managing to divert Dejan Kulusevski’s goalbound effort past Robert Sanchez, we were in control in East Sussex. Harry Kane added our second having been released by Rodrigo Bentancur before sending the ball across the box and into the far corner of the net. That was 96^th away goal in the Premier League - a record tally in the competition - and it wrapped up all three points for us.

Brighton 0-2 Spurs | Premier League | March, 2022

3 - Fortress Amex

Since tasting defeat to us in that clash back in March, Brighton have put quite the run together at the Amex. It has now been seven home league games for the Seagulls since our 2-0 victory there and they remain unbeaten in that period, winning four and drawing three of those matches.

4 - Solid Seagulls

A staple of Brighton during their time in the Premier League so far has been their defensive rigour. Despite having finished in the bottom half of the table in four of their five seasons in the league to date, on three occasions, they have finished within the top 10 for best defensive performances (goals conceded) - and this season, they have continued to be resilient at the back. So far this campaign, only Everton (7) have conceded less goals than Brighton (8) and, prior to new manager Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge – a 3-3 draw with Liverpool, Brighton boasted the best defence in the league.

5 - Consistent Brighton

The Seagulls' solidity at the back can largely be attributed to the consistency of their line-ups. No side this season has used fewer players in the Premier League than Brighton (19). They have also made fewer changes to their starting XI than any other side (four).

6 - Antonio’s record vs De Zerbi

This evening’s meeting will not be Antonio Conte’s first encounter with Roberto De Zerbi. Having both previously managed in Serie A, this will be the fifth time that the two coaches have faced each other. Antonio currently has the upper hand in their head-to-head record and remains unbeaten against De Zerbi, winning three and drawing the other of their four clashes to date.

7 - Trossard on form

A man to watch out for at the Amex will be Brighton forward Leandro Trossard. Scorer of a hat-trick against Liverpool last weekend and now up to five goals for the season in the top flight, Trossard is certainly a player in form. Having made seven appearances so far this campaign, he has been involved in six of the Seagulls 19 goals so far this campaign (scored five, assisted one).

8 - Kane at the Amex

Another man who has been in fine form this season has been Harry Kane – and he has quite the record against Brighton. Having played his part in all eight of our matches so far, Harry has been involved in as many goals (scored seven, assisted one) – only Manchester City's Erling Haaland (14) has scored more goals than him in the competition this year.

In terms of this evening’s opponents, Harry has scored five times in his last seven outings against Brighton, including three in four appearances at the Amex.

9 - Strength on the road

Under Antonio Conte, we are enjoying a good record away from home. Of our last 16 away matches, we have lost just twice, winning 11 and drawing three times. This evening, we are looking to make it three wins on the trot in Premier League away games outside of London without conceding for the first time since September, 2017.