Brighton vs Tottenham Preview

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Although Brighton go into this fixture with Tottenham seven points clear of the relegation zone they have not yet secured their Premier League status for the next season. Going into their final five games of the campaign it looks as if they will need at least one win to confirm their survival.

However, they have arguably the most difficult run in of all the teams that are currently trying to keep their heads above water, this is due to the fact that those final quintet of matches sees them play five of the top seven sides in the division.

The set of fixtures that are on Brighton’s horizon could not be more difficult and after picking up just a point from their last two matches, the need for a big performance not to mention the points that could come with it has become even more important.

After a home draw with Huddersfield was then followed last weekend by a defeat to arch rivals Crystal Palace, the Seagulls are looking over their shoulders once more and everyone connected with the club will be hoping that they have already done enough to ward off the threat of relegation.

It may be a case of not how many points they pick up between now and the final day but just whether the likes of Southampton and Stoke can close the gap on them, so with that in mind it is fair to say that their focus may lie elsewhere.

That said they certainly cannot afford not to concentrate when Mauricio Pochettino brings his squad of players to the AMEX Stadium, who even though they suffered defeat themselves at the weekend they will be confident of bouncing back in the best possible fashion.

They were soundly beaten by the now Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday night and although there were only two goals difference in the final score line the North London outfit were never really in the contest.

It was something of a wakeup call for Tottenham who before that game had gone 14 Premier League games unbeaten. It was a run that started after defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad and it is one that is now bookended after a second defeat this season by Pep Guardiola’s men.

That defeat also sees Tottenham’s gap over Chelsea in the race for 4th place cut to just seven points, so while they are still huge favourites to return to the Champions League next season they still need to pick up three wins from their last five matches.

They will hope that now they have got the small blip of Manchester City out of the way, they can return to winning ways and more importantly make sure that their season is not derailed, not only that but a win would give them a good amount of momentum going into this weekend’s F.A. Cup Semi-final.

Brighton have certainly saved their best football this season for their own fans and have already claimed one ‘big six’ scalp this season in the form of Arsenal, however they will struggle to get anything from this one as Tottenham return to winning ways and move a step closer to a top four finish.