Premier League: Europa Kings Host Europa Hopefuls

Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion

As the Premier League comes to a close this weekend, all eyes are on the teams placed from third to ninth as the scramble for European places is yet to unravel.

And when Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton visit Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, the Seagulls will be hoping that they can book a ticket to Europe, while their hosts are already there.   

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs were in the Europa League final on Wednesday night and, for the first time since 2008, they won some silverware, seeing off Manchester United with a masterclass in defending, not a quality the North Londoners have displayed too often this season.    

Meanwhile, Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton beat Liverpool 3-2 last week to keep their European hopes well and truly alive. And now, the Seagulls need to avoid defeat on Sunday and hope that results elsewhere, including Chelsea winning the Europa Conference League, fall in their favour.     

 

Talking Points

What next for Tottenham and Postecoglou?

It’s highly unlikely that the players and fans of Spurs have made it down from Cloud Nine yet after they ended a 17-year trophy drought with a battling display in Bilbao to win the Europa League with a 1-0 victory over the Red Devils. Postecoglou insisted he would win silverware in his second season in London, and the affable Aussie delivered.

But there have been calls to replace him for much of the campaign and, when you look at the Whites’ Premier League 2025 results, you can see why. This time last season, Tottenham were fifth with 63 points while they now sit 17^th on 38 points with a staggering 21 league defeats, which may well become 22 on Sunday.

In fairness to Postecoglou and his team, they have been dealt a horrific set of injuries this season, and the heart of the first 11 has been ripped out for much of the campaign. Yes, it’s a squad game, but to lose keeper Vicario, center-back lynchpin Micky van de Ven, midfield general Rodrigo Bentancur, creative muscle James Maddison, and skipper Heung-Min Son has pretty much decimated the team’s leadership group, and the results have reflected that.         

Except for Maddison, who is out for the campaign with a knee injury, the key players are back and will be ready to line up against the Seagulls. Thanks to the team’s heroics in the Basque, the feel-good factor has returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it will be interesting to see if they can finally put on a show in the league, in front of their elated fans.  

 

Yes or no for Pedro?

Under Hurzeler, the youngest manager in the Premier League, Brighton started the season in great style, playing easy-on-the-eye football and attacking freely with impressive results. A midseason slump rather slowed the Seagulls’ momentum, but they have picked up again and, a run of three wins and a draw from the last four games has given them a great chance of achieving their goal.

The conundrum facing Hurzeler lies in the case of 23-year-old Brazilian striker Joao Pedro, an undoubted talent with 10 league goals this season, but a player with disciplinary issues. He was sent off during the Seagulls’ 4-2 defeat to Brentford in April and hasn’t appeared since, during which time his team has picked up 10 points.

Even though he was available to play, Pedro sat out Brighton’s clash with champions Liverpool last week and, in the experienced Danny Welbeck and Kaoru Mitoma, Hurzeler has two more perfectly capable strikers.

News has emerged from the South Coast that Pedro has been involved in a training ground spat with Dutch center-back Jan Paul van Hecke, and that will not play well with his manager who has praised his team’s spirit and togetherness.                      

 

History

Tottenham have dominated this relationship, winning 13 to five of their encounters with Brighton, with one draw in all competitions since 2005.

Brighton have struggled at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, losing nine of their last 10 visits, and they went down 2-1 in this fixture last season. But the last time the two teams met in Brighton back in October, the Seagulls edged a five-goal thriller. 

Brighton have won three, drawn two, and lost one of the last six games, while Spurs have won three, drawn one, and lost two of their last six but without a victory in the league. 

 

Betting Tip

At the beginning of this season, the Premier League 2025 betting odds backed Spurs to finish in the top six, but they probably need to win this game to avoid ending up as the worst side to avoid relegation.

So, it is little surprise that the Seagulls are favourites, at SBOTOP odds of 2.00, to win this game with Spurs at 2.84 and the draw at 3.61. 1-2 at 8.48 is the most likely scoreline alongside 1-1 at the same price, and a draw will be a decent outcome for the visitors.  

   

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