Brighton & Hove Albion – Tottenham Hotspur
Brighton welcomes Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday at 3 p.m. for an explosive Premier League duel, in which bookmakers surprisingly see the Seagulls as slight favorites despite their weaker position in the table. While Brighton is in 13th place with four points, Tottenham sits in third place with nine points. This assessment by the betting providers is probably based on Brighton’s impressive record in head-to-head matches: three wins from the last five encounters, crowned by a spectacular 4-1 away win in May. The matches between these teams have always been high-scoring and intense, never ending in a draw. Tottenham travel with the momentum of a 1-0 Champions League win against Villarreal, while Brighton had to digest a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth. For Thomas Frank, it will be his first meeting with Brighton as Tottenham coach after taking over the job in the summer. Under his leadership, Spurs have been more solid defensively, with three clean sheets in the league already. Both teams will be without key players: Brighton will be without the long-term injured Webster, while Tottenham will be unable to field several regulars such as Kulusevski and Maddison due to their lack of Champions League eligibility.
- Venue: American Express Stadium, Falmer, East Sussex
- Date and time: 20.09.2025, 4:00 p.m.
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 5)
Brighton form & record check
Brighton finds itself in 13th place in the table after four matchdays, level on points with Brentford above and Manchester United below. The four points and negative goal difference of minus two reflect a mixed start to the season, which has fluctuated between moments of hope and frustrating setbacks. The recent 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of the Seagulls. After a poor start, with Scott putting the visitors 1-0 up, Brighton fought back to level the score through Mitoma’s header. However, an unfortunate penalty after van Hecke’s foul on Evanilson sealed the defeat, even though the team looked much more in control in the second half. Interestingly, there is a clear pattern in Brighton’s games: all five of their most recent matches have ended with over 1.5 goals, while the first half is usually low-scoring. This statistic highlights the team’s ability to improve, but also their vulnerability in the opening minutes. The impressive 2-1 home win against Manchester City remains the highlight of the season so far. Personnel issues are a cause for concern. Webster is still out with a cruciate ligament rupture, while De Cuyper is struggling after his collision with the advertising hoarding. The Belgian had quickly established himself as an important offensive reinforcement on the left side. Hürzeler’s rotation policy, including recent loan decisions, could prove risky.
Brighton are likely to line up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, which is coach Hürzeler’s preferred system. However, the personnel situation is tense: Adam Webster is still out with a cruciate ligament injury, and further question marks have arisen after the defeat in Bournemouth. De Cuyper had to be taken off injured against the Cherries after being knocked into the advertising hoarding. If De Cuyper is unavailable, Kadıoğlu could move to the left-back position, where he already has experience. In midfield, Baleba could return after the 21-year-old came off the bench against Bournemouth. Milner had surprisingly been given preference there. In attack, the tried-and-tested trio of Mitoma, Rutter, and Minteh remains a likely option. Welbeck remains available as center forward after missing a penalty at Everton. It is possible that Hürzeler will make tactical adjustments after the recent defeat in order to find more stability.
Tottenham Form & Record Check
The Spurs are currently in remarkable form. After four matchdays, they are in third place in the table with nine points, level on points with Arsenal just above them. Hardly anyone would have predicted this starting position after the turbulent weeks of the summer. Thomas Frank’s team has put together an impressive run in the league, winning four of their last five games. Their defensive stability is particularly striking: in Frank’s four league games, Tottenham has conceded only one goal, a deflected shot against Bournemouth. This defensive performance was clearly Frank’s first priority after taking office and is already bearing fruit. Last weekend’s 3-1 win over West Ham underlined the tactical maturity under the new manager. Bergvall shone with his headed goal, while the team benefited from Simons’ first assist. Interestingly, Spurs seem to have addressed their weaknesses from set pieces, which had been a recurring problem in the past. In the Champions League, they got off to a lucky 1-0 start against Villarreal thanks to an own goal by the opposing goalkeeper. Despite the narrow result, it was a solid debut in Europe’s elite competition. Incidentally, statistics show that Tottenham have been unusually strong in the first half in their last five games, rarely conceding goals.
Thomas Frank is likely to stick with his tried-and-tested 4-3-3 system, even though he will be without several key players. The absence of Kulusevski and Maddison is particularly bitter due to their lack of Champions League eligibility; both creative players would normally have been candidates for the starting lineup. Bergvall could take on a central role in midfield after impressing with a strong performance against West Ham. Alongside him, Bentancur and Sarr are the most likely options for the midfield trio. Simons is likely to play an important role in attack, even if he still needs time to settle into the team. Of course, this lineup remains speculative until the official announcement shortly before kickoff.
H2H Brighton – Tottenham Head-to-head comparison & statistics
The recent encounters between Brighton and Tottenham have painted a clear picture: Brighton leads the head-to-head record of the last five meetings with three wins to two. Interestingly, there has never been a draw in these games, which underlines the intensity of these encounters. Brighton has built up an impressive run against the Spurs. The Seagulls have won three of the last five games, including a spectacular 4-1 away win in London in May 2025. They also showed their strength at home with 3-2 wins in October 2024 and 4-2 in December 2023. Tottenham have only managed two wins, both narrow 2-1 victories at their own stadium. However, the Spurs’ last win dates back to February 2024. Since then, they have suffered three consecutive defeats against Brighton. There is a noticeable pattern in the offense of both teams: in all five encounters, both Brighton and Tottenham scored at least once. At the same time, both teams always conceded goals, which indicates a certain defensive weakness in these direct duels. The goal difference also favors Brighton, which has scored 16 goals in the last five games, while Tottenham has scored ten. Particularly striking is their accuracy in the second half, when the decisions are regularly made.
Brighton has both scored and conceded in four of five league games, while Tottenham has scored in the same proportion and kept a clean sheet only once. Last season’s head-to-head matches, which ended 4-1 and 3-2, underscore that both attacks will regularly get through. “Both teams to score: Yes” at 1.5 offers solid value, especially with Mitoma back in top form for Brighton and Simons revitalizing the Spurs’ offense. Over 3.5 goals at 2.7 is supported by Brighton’s five consecutive games with more than 2.5 goals, while Tottenham has scored twelve goals in their last four competitive games. Webster’s knee injury further weakens Brighton’s defense, which favors fast, open play. A Tottenham win at 3.0 looks tempting, as the visitors have won four of their last five matches and Brighton have only managed one league win at the Amex so far. The betting markets see Brighton as slight favorites at 2.2, but the injury concerns surrounding De Cuyper and Spurs’ strong form with Kudus, Sarr, and Frank’s new tactical approach suggest a surprise away win.
