Tottenham Hotspur’s next opponents in the Premier League will be Brighton and Hove Albion, and the Seagulls are going to have to take on Ange Postecoglou’s men without one of their most important players.
With Spurs firing on all cylinders at the moment, Brighton will be wary of the attacking talents at Ange Postecoglou‘s disposal when the two teams meet on Sunday afternoon.
Brennan Johnson has four goals in four games and will fancy his chances of extending that run, as will Dominic Solanke, who has three goals in three.
Brighton will have to deal with those forward threats without the help of one of their key defenders, Jan Paul van Hecke, though.
According to Voetbal International, the Dutch defender is definitely going to be unavailable for the Premier League game on October 6, and may be missing until as late as October 19.
The centre-half has been a prominent figure in Fabian Hürzeler’s team so far this season, and while his groin injury is not as serious as first feared, van Hecke will not be passed fit in time for the meeting with Spurs.
Brighton will likely line up with their more experienced pairing of Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster, but the pair’s lack of pace will certainly open up opportunities for the sharp Spurs attackers.
We all know how Postecoglou likes his defence to play a high line, and how he encourages his whole team to press high up the pitch. Based on the first six games of the season, that methodology is something Hürzeler buys into, as well.
It will be fascinating, then, to see how those two similar styles of play fare against one another. There is also the chance that Brighton may look to change things and employ a deeper line, given the way they were dismantled against Chelsea last weekend.
Brighton are normally a difficult proposition, and a team that have caused Spurs some issues in the past. However, with a player like van Hecke missing, their whole game plan is compromised, and they’ll be feeling the effects of that 4-2 defeat to Chelsea.
Spurs are in great form and feeling confident, and we’ve found really clever ways to exploit defensive weakness lately, so there’s every chance we can do the same against the Seagulls at the weekend.
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