Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton and Hove Albion: Seagulls Swoop Into View

by Matthew Harris · 14th April 2022

A comprehensive victory over Aston Villa last time out made it four league wins from four and keeps Spurs’ Champions League hopes in their own hands. It wasn’t always comfortable viewing: Hugo Lloris came to the rescue on several occasions in the first half but a deluge of goals in the second period deflated our opponents.

Next up in the battle for a top four place is Saturday’s lunchtime kick off against Brighton and Hove Albion. The Seagulls did us a favour at the weekend with a 2-1 away win at Arsenal and they’ve been a competitive side at stages of this season.

Can we make it five from five or will Potter and his men sink our winning run?

Team News

It was sad to see Matt Doherty limp out of Saturday’s game at Villa Park and I didn’t think I’d be saying that a few weeks ago. The defender has been ruled out until next season but he’s played well enough in recent weeks to suggest that he does have a future at Spurs. Doherty now joins Japhet Tanganga as the players having to forget about 2021/22 and focus on the next campaign.

Elsewhere, it’s been reported that Oliver Skipp may just make the squad for Saturday’s game after his own lengthy injury lay off.

The other piece of fitness news relates to the manager. Antonio Conte has tested positive for Covid 19 but aims to take his place in the dugout providing he is clear by the weekend.

There are no suspensions so the squad should be close to full strength ahead of this fixture.

Match Odds

That winning run, together with the benefit of home advantage, makes Tottenham clear favourites for the win in this Saturday, 12.30pm kick off. In fact, we’re very short indeed with BetFred and 10Bet among a number of outlets offering odds of just 8/15.

The draw is the next option on the list at 16/5 with QuinnBet while victory for Brighton completes the result betting at 11/2 with Unibet and SportNation.

Spurs’ run of form means that the club is in second place out of all Premier League clubs, based on results over the last six games. As for our opponents, Brighton have just four points in the same period. It all points to a comfortable 90 minutes but we know that we can never take a Tottenham result for granted.

Side Markets

Harry Kane may not have scored any of his side’s last nine goals but, prior to that, our main frontman had found the net seven times in his previous seven league matches. Kane will start as favourite to open the scoring on Saturday and the best odds for this selection currently stand at 31/10 with VBet.

Son Heung-Min follows at 15/4 with Unibet while other options for Spurs include Dejan Kulusevski and Steven Bergwijn at 7/1 with Unibet and Lucas Moura at 17/2 with Coral.

The first representative for Brighton in the first goalscorer market is Neal Maupay and he is available at 8/1 with Unibet once again.

Turning away from the individual players, Both Teams to Score is on offer for this game at best odds of Even Money with BetFred. That’s a long price for this market and is clearly based on our recent run of form. If you want to take the No option on BTTS, this can be found at 5/6 with Ladbrokes and Betway.

In the Total Goals section, a stake Above the 2.5 line will currently attract 5/6 with QuinnBet. By pushing that up to Over 3.5, the numbers climb to 2/1 with 10Bet and Coral. If you’re expecting a low scoring 90 minutes on Saturday, you can take Under 2.5 goals which is on offer at 10/11 with QuinnBet and 888Sport.

That just leaves some Correct Score options and those who agree with the bookies assessment of this match may want to take a 3-1 home win which is available at 66/1 with Ladbrokes and Coral. The more pessimistic among us may want to look at the 2-1 away win which is on offer at 18/1 with 888Sport while the 1-1 draw can be backed at 7/1 with Betway and QuinnBet.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MArch 1, 2020: Steven Bergwijn of Tottenham pictured during the 2020/21 Premier League game between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Wolverhampton FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Last Season

The corresponding fixture from the 2020/21 season was played behind closed doors on the 1st of November. It finished in a narrow 2-1 home win although it was a game that Spurs should have won by a wider margin.

Both Erik Lamela and Harry Kane hit the post in the second half before Gareth Bale headed home the winner on 73 minutes. Prior to that, Harry Kane had opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Tariq Lamptey equalised for Brighton just after half time.

Both of those earlier goals had a hint of controversy. Spurs’ penalty was disputed while Pierre-Emile Hojberg appeared to be fouled in the lead up to Brighton’s goal. While we’d take a similar outcome on Saturday, this wasn’t the most comfortable viewing from a distance.

Verdict

We say it a lot on these pages but this is another game that we really should be winning. Brighton deserved their three points last week but they are in poor form overall while Spurs come into the match on the back of that extended winning run.

Maybe we are too pessimistic at times but perhaps we’re naturally cautious, having seen many ridiculous performances against weaker teams. Will this Spurs unit provide more consistency in the months and years to come?

Time will tell but let’s aim for another winning weekend while considering some side bets. Harry Kane to open the scoring is short at 31/10 but we feel that Harry must be due after two blank games.

Over 3.5 goals should reflect an attacking 90 minutes and we’ll also take Both Teams to Score. Our defence has been tight and Hugo Lloris has been brilliant, but Brighton should have some confidence after last weekend’s victory.

Consider these options if you like but the main target is another three points and a clearer path towards that final Champions League place.