Tottenham Hotspur won their UEFA Champions League opener yesterday, which quieted the critics, at least for now. Given that they finished 17th in the Premier League last season, and back-doored their way into the UCL for this season, there are no shortage of critics right now. But they beat Villarreal last night in continental competition, and they’ll head to the match at Brighton sitting third place in the domestic league, so thus far, they have been looking good.
It’s early days, for sure, but it’s a good start, and Brighton will no doubt be on notice here.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur
Kickoff: Sat. Sept. 20, 3pm, AMEX Stadium, Falmer, Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, UK
Tottenham Hotspur Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur 32% Brighton 42% Draw 26%
PL Form, Position: Tottenham Hotspur WWLW, 9 pts, 3rd Brighton DLWL, 4 pts, 13th
In trying to fill out what Thomas Frank’s team sheet might look like on Saturday, we think there could be a little squad rotation here and there. We could see a flip (between the starter and the guy who came off the bench on Tuesday) at a few positions here and there.
So here is our best guess at what that might look like.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction at Brighton & Hove Albion
Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Pape Matar Sarr; Muhammad Kudus, Brennan Johnson, Richarlison
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter