Tottenham can cement themselves a place in the top four of the Premier League if they can overcome Brighton on Tuesday.
Although the Champions League semi-finalists lost to Manchester City on Saturday, it did not prove to be a particularly damaging result as their chief rivals for a top-four finish also stumbled over the weekend.
In midweek, however, they face opponents determined to take a big leap towards safety, despite having failed to win – or even score in – any of their last six matches in all competitions.
| Game | Tottenham vs Brighton |
| Date | Tuesday, April 23 |
| Time | 7.45pm BST / 2.45pm EST |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live on NBC. An online stream for the match will be available at NBCSports.com and with NBC Sports Live.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NBCSN | NBCSports.com / NBC Sports Live |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched on Sky Sports Main Event or Sky Sports Premier League. It can be streamed via SKY GO Extra.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League | SKY GO Extra |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Tottenham players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Lloris, Vorm, Gazzaniga |
| Defenders | Trippier, Rose, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Sanchez, Walker-Peters, Foyth, Davies |
| Midfielders | Son, Wanyama, Eriksen, Lucas, Marsh, Skipp, Lamela, Alli |
| Forwards | Llorente |
Tottenham starting XI: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama; Eriksen, Dele, Son; Lucas, Llorente
| Position | Brighton squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ryan, Button, Steele |
| Defenders | Dunk, Duffy, Bruno, Montoya, Bong, Bernardo, Balogun, Burn |
| Midfielders | Bissouma, Stephens, Kayal, Gross, March, Izquierdo, Jahanbakhsh |
| Forwards | Locadia, Murray, Andone |
Brighton starting XI: Ryan; Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bernardo; Stephens, Bissouma, Gross, Jahanbakhsh; Andone; Locadia
Betting & Match Odds
Tottenham are priced at 2/7 favourites with bet365. Brighton are at 12/1 while a draw is priced at 5/1.
Match Preview
Getty ImagesTottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino maintains that a top four finish in the Premier League remains his side’s chief goal for the season, despite a Champions League semi-final on the horizon against Ajax.
Spurs may have been unable to live with the relentless pace of Liverpool and Manchester City beyond Christmas, but they still sit third in the standings ahead of the midweek visit of Brighton.
With the tantalising carrot of the European Cup to play for, it might be easy for them to become distracted, but Pochettino insists that will not happen.
“We’re not thinking about Ajax,” he said. “We showed against Manchester City on Saturday that we were thinking of that competition, the Premier League. Now our energy is on Brighton. I think it is so clear we have two alternatives.
“One is to be in the top four at the end of the season and the other is to beat Ajax but we have to go step by step. That’s important. The players know it. Their behaviour and mentality is perfect. You know very well I don’t need to tell them. I think they were very professional against City.”
Spurs have a perfect record at their new stadium, having won all three fixtures and the Argentine is eager for that record to continue.
“It is going to be fantastic and it is going to be very helpful for us to play in our stadium in front of our fans. I hope and wish to keep the same results,” he said.
Aiming to become the first visiting side to prevent them from winning are Brighton, an outfit who have failed to score in 570 minutes of competitive football and who find themselves only three points above the drop zone due to their adverse form.
A 2-0 home loss to Cardiff was a potentially devastating blow but a gritty goalless draw at Wolves on Saturday saw them bounce back to some extent, giving centre-back Lewis Dunk cause of optimism.
“It’s our job and every single one of the players wants to be in the Premier League. It’s the best league in the world, so why would you not want to fight to stay in it?” defender Dunk said.
“We have to put the performances in and get the points on the board that keep us safe. We’ll make sure we do that until the end of the season.
“You get those games where you just have to dig in — we were so frustrated when things weren’t going well, but we’ve shown we can react to those disappointments.”
Tottenham have not lost a home Premier League match on a Tuesday since August 2007, and now would be a bad time for them to end that record.