Tottenham take on Brighton and Hove Albion in a crucial Premier League encounter.
Tottenham Hotspur host Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday evening, as Roberto De Zerbi reunites with his former employers.
Spurs are in genuine danger of dropping down to the Championship, and their crisis deepened last weekend at Sunderland. A 1-0 loss at the Stadium of Light was not the start Roberto De Zerbi had envisaged as the Tottenham boss. With just six games left, the Italian will hope that he can secure victory against his old team to kickstart the Lilywhites’ turnaround in fortunes.
However, it won’t be easy against Brighton. Fabian Hurzeler’s side, on the other hand, are in much better form and shape, coming into this game on the back of three consecutive wins, including a 2-0 victory over Burnley last time out. The south coast outfit will be keen to secure victory in North London to boost their chances of European qualification.
Roberto De Zerbi provides Tottenham injury news ahead of Brighton encounter
De Zerbi and Tottenham were dealt a big blow earlier this week when skipper Cristian Romero was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. The centre-back sustained a knee injury against Sunderland, and scans later revealed that he will be out of action for a minimum of six weeks, thus ending his campaign on a sour note.
Simultaneously, Spurs did get some rare good news on the injury front, with Rodrigo Bentancur returning to team training after three months on the sidelines. Speaking ahead of the clash against Brighton, De Zerbi has now provided an injury update on his Tottenham squad.
“Bentancur is available to play, I don’t know if he’ll start the game or not, Bissouma is available but Vicario no,” De Zerbi said in his press conference (h/t Football London).
No Vicario again!
It will be good to see Bentancur back in the thick of things again. The Uruguayan international’s quality on the ball and experience will be required during the battle against relegation. However, Guglielmo Vicario is not yet ready to return to the squad.
The Spurs No.1 had hernia surgery over the March international break and missed the 1-0 defeat to Sunderland. De Zerbi had hoped to have Vicario back fit for the weekend’s game, but the Italian shot-stopper was absent from training on Thursday. Subsequently, he misses out again, meaning Antonin Kinsky will retain his spot between the sticks.
Every single member of the Tottenham squad have to step up their performance levels if they are to get the better of Brighton and clinch the first league win of 2026.