One of three all-Premier League ties in the fourth round of the FA Cup will take place in North London on Saturday night, when Tottenham Hotspur play host to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The only previous meeting between these two sides in the competition came in the third round back in January 2005, with strikes from Ledley King and Robbie Keane securing a 2-1 win for Spurs at White Hart Lane.
Match preview
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Tottenham experienced mixed fortunes in January, with three wins and three defeats across all competitions, though all three losses were against London rivals Chelsea without finding the net.
Two EFL Cup semi-final defeats, were followed by a 2-0 beating at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League just before the winter break, a result which has seen Antonio Conte's side slip to seventh in the table.
However, with only two points separating them from Manchester United in fourth and with at least one game in hand on the six teams above them, qualifying for the Champions League remains a strong possibility.
Spurs now turn their attention to the FA Cup, with their supporters desperate for them to end their 14-year drought without a trophy. The Lilywhites last lifted the FA Cup back in 1991, but since then they have only managed to make it as far as the semi-finals on two occasions in 2017 and 2018.
Tottenham will be confident of success this weekend as they face a Brighton outfit who they have beaten in each of their last seven home games across all competitions, a run which dates back to 1982.
Talisman Harry Kane has enjoyed playing in the FA Cup for Spurs, netting 11 times in as many appearances in the competition, with each of his last four coming as a substitute, including the third and final goal in their 3-1 win against Morecambe in the third round.
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While Tottenham struggled to claim a positive result against Chelsea in January, Brighton have played out two 1-1 draws against the Blues over the last four weeks. Another point claimed at Leicester City last time out means that the Seagulls have now drawn four of their last six matches by the same 1-1 scoreline.
Understandably, Graham Potter's men can be labelled as draw specialists this campaign, with 12 already to their name in the Premier League, two more than any other team in the division. Nevertheless, Brighton sit six points and six places better off than at this stage of last season, with fears of relegation a distant memory.
Confidence is high among the Seagulls at present, as they head to North London unbeaten in their last seven matches across all competitions, including a 2-1 extra-time win against West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup third round.
Brighton supporters will now be hoping that their team can enjoy an FA Cup run and reach the fifth round for the fourth time in the last five years. The South-Coast outfit have only ever competed in the FA Cup final once in their history back in 1982-83, but they did manage to reach the semi-finals in 2018-19, losing 1-0 at Wembley to eventual winners Manchester City.
Potter will be keen for his side to reproduce their decent home form against Tottenham when they travel to the capital this weekend, having won three and drawn one of their last five against them on home soil.
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Team News
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Spurs have been boosted by the return to training of Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero, and Conte has confirmed that both players will be available for selection this weekend.
Deadline day additions Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski are in contention to make their debuts as they have both been granted their work permits and have trained with their new teammates over the last few days.
Conte has revealed, however, that Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are set to miss out with respective groin and knee injuries.
Midfielder Harry Winks, who has started the last four matches, could retain his spot in the first XI alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, while Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn are set to support central striker Harry Kane in attack.
As for Brighton, Jeremy Sarmiento and Enock Mwepu have both returned to first-team training but Saturday's game will come too soon for the pair.
Alexis Mac Allister has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time while away on international duty with Argentina and is now in isolation, while Moises Caicedo is doubtful after Potter confirmed that the midfielder is set to return from Ecuador on Saturday morning.
Potter will be pleased to welcome Yves Bissouma back into the fold, as the Mali international's time at the Africa Cup of Nations has come to an end, while Adam Lallana and Shane Duffy have both recovered from injuries; all three players are in contention to feature this weekend.
Captain Lewis Dunk could be handed his first start at centre-back in over a month, after recovering from a knee injury, and he is set to replace Dan Burn, who secured a move to boyhood club Newcastle United on deadline day.
Winger Leandro Trossard – who scored the only goal in Brighton's last meeting with Spurs in January 2021, which saw them win 1-0 on home soil – is expected to start, while former Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay will battle with each other for the number nine role.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Gollini; Rodon, Dier, Davies; Doherty, Winks, Hojbjerg, Sessegnon; Moura, Bergwijn; Kane
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Veltman, Webster, Dunk, Cucurella; Bissouma, Moder; Lamptey, Lallana, Trossard; Welbeck
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (Tottenham Hotspur to win 2-1 after extra-time)
Brighton have proven to be a challenging opponent for many teams this campaign, losing only five of their 26 games across all competitions.
Spurs may be frustrated at times against the Seagulls, but they should have enough quality in the final third to breach the visitors' backline and edge through a closely-fought encounter after extra-time.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Tottenham Hotspur win with a probability of 45.76%. A win for Brighton & Hove Albion had a probability of 28.9% and a draw had a probability of 25.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Tottenham Hotspur win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.34%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.22%) and 2-0 (7.92%). The likeliest Brighton & Hove Albion win was 0-1 (7.86%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.03%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 4.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Tottenham Hotspur would win this match.
