Tottenham Hotspur appears to have turned the corner after a horrible run of results that took them completely out of the top four, while Brighton continues to slide down in the league.

Both sides have suffered misfortunes on the injury front this season. James Maddison, Micky Van De Ven, and Christian Romero are quite instrumental in how Tottenham plays, but the trio are injured and won’t be back until next month.

Brighton’s injury list continues to grow. Roberto Di Zerbi has had to tweak his starting eleven every match day, and it has taken a toll on their results. Brighton currently sits completely outside of European considerations, but a win on Thursday night could oil their engines.

Brighton has two wins from their last five in all competitions, but they’ve had more joy in Europe than on the home front. The Seagulls topped their Europa League group and will avoid an unnecessary game in February while hoping most of their players return soon from injury.

Tottenham has won three games on the bounce, and all came in the league after they crashed out of the League Cup earlier in the season and didn’t make Europe at home. They had to dig deep to earn their win against Everton over the weekend. The Toffees woke up late to fight, but Spurs ran out 2-1 winners.

How will they line up? Eric Dier is expected to be picked as Romero’s replacement. In the win over Everton, Romero sustained another calf problem and will be sidelined until February at the earliest.

Van De Ven is almost back in training, according to Ange Postecoglou. Spurs need him back as soon as possible, as he is key to their high-line defending. Pedro Porro has been an inspirational member of the backline for the visitors; he has created the most chances since Madison got injured, and he will be key.

Brighton will always follow their pattern. The Seagulls will attack through the middle, and you’ll expect more from Evan Ferguson, who has gone cold recently. Joao Pedro is another option up front, and Di Zerbi can decide to play the two together.

Kaoru Mitoma is confirmed to be injured and out, Ansu Fathi is unavailable, and Simon Adingra is also out injured; the latter is a big worry for Ivory Coast ahead of AFCON. Tottenham is the clear favorite to win here but trust Brighton to give it a good fight.

Verdict: Tottenham to win