Spurs out for revenge
Tottenham are back on home turf for the second time in a row come boxing day when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Both teams are coming off the backs of disappointing defeats and will naturally be looking to get back to winning ways but Tottenham should be extra fired up after their embarrassing 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.
Tottenham
Spurs suffered a very disappointing defeat when they were absolutely pummelled by London rivals Chelsea and ultimately fell 2-0 at home after mustering a single(!) shot on goal.
Worryingly easily beaten
What was surprising was the manner in which they were defeated, totally outplayed throughout the game and rounding it off with an abysmal attempt (if you can even call it that) at mounting anything resembling a late push towards the end.
All this after Mourinho had a full week to prepare for the derby which raises some interesting questions.
Honeymoon period is over
The initial resurgence following a new appointment is over, what follows is most probably the real reality of how things are looking for the Lilywhites but a few things have been evident.
Tottenham are obviously struggling against teams looking to attack them which was very evident against Chelsea, the loss to Manchester United was similar with the reds front four rushing Tottenham and overwhelming them with pace time and time again.
Strong against lesser opponents
However, this problem seems to dissolve against the lower tabled teams who like to sit back and attempt the occasional counter which can be seen in the simple fact that they have won all their games against opposition below them in the table (bar United) as well as a very impressive 2-1 win at Wolverhampton.
All in all Brighton seem like the perfect opponents for Spurs to get back to winning ways.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Graham Potter's Seagulls are exceeding expectations at the moment and can currently be found at an ok 13th place in the table.
Troubles against the top
Highlights have obviously been the victory at the Emirates as well as against Spurs in the reverse fixture but a common thread is that Brighton really struggle against better teams both at home and away, especially the big six.
Brighton were soundly defeated against Leicester, United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City which is obviously not odd but it does mean that they struggle against a certain brand of football, as well as against teams that are simply better on paper.
Shabby on the road
The Seagulls have lost five of their nine away trips this season and have conceded a goal six games in a row, they have however scored in each of their last five away trips meaning that they always put up a fight.
The question is, will it be enough to fend off a revitalised Tottenham that are very different from the last time the pair met back in October.
Betting tip
Tottenham have been solid against worse teams whilst Brighton struggle against the top which is why i will be backing a Tottenham win at the very decent odds of 53/100 with Betway.
