The pragmatist versus the dreamer. The grime of north London versus the flamboyance of Brighton. Or perhaps less romantically – the late Sunday kickoff.
While I’d like to bill this to me more than it is, bar the Europa League exploits midweek, there’s really no external factors to say this shouldn’t be a straightforward home win. But if you look at the price, you’ll see it’s not quite that.
Why? Well, Spurs’ season is somewhat of a rollercoaster. They have both looked like the best team in Europe and the worst London side in the entire framework of English football. And sometimes there’s ten minutes between examples.
Sunday 7.15pm: Tottenham v Brighton
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Brighton? Well, they’re going to remain dedicated to their ways, and that can either one of two ways: Bournemouth or Wolves. Unfortunately, they haven’t the spending power that the Black Country side do, but they do have an English manager who seems more suited to an underage role with the FA than anything else and players that rarely perform above themselves.
So, with all that unpredictability, I suppose we’re probably at a loss as to what’s going to happen? Well, thankfully there are trends to fall back on, and here are your three best bets ahead of what, honestly, could be anything.
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Spurs to Score in Both Halves
Gary Neville said last week that even after a year you still can’t judge this Spurs team under Jose Mourinho because the man himself was undergoing a change in his approach.
We’re starting to see that with Spurs too. He has better attacking players than defenders, and he’s coming to terms with that – not forcing wingers to hang back just to ensure he retires with better clean sheet totals. No, he lets his charges run loose and while Gareth Bale is yet to start a Premier League game, adding him to the mix only makes them more interesting.
This Spurs team are figuring themselves out, and until a standardised pattern of play is nailed down, they’re just going to default to what they do best – and that’s score goals. And we think they’ll net in both halves on Sunday.
Spurs to Win and Both Teams to Score
Brighton are too flashy to ever back against them scoring, so in this regard, we’ll play it safe and suggest they’ll bag, but it could be a consolation in the grand scheme of things. I don’t ever enter a Spurs game expecting them to struggle to score multiple goals, especially at home given the size of the pitch – but they’re also looser at home.
Maybe this is Mourinho’s plan going forward? Either way, Brighton scoring here seems right. I still can’t see past a home victory so Tottenham to Win and Both Teams To Score feels like a nice play.
Son Heung-Min to Score Anytime
For me, the Player of the Year through the early stages of this campaign. And as long as he’s odds-against to score in any given game, especially playing a side like Brighton, I’ll be taking the price.
Both he and Harry Kane are as good as any partnership we’ve seen since Sutton and Shearer and that dynamic going forward is entertaining for absolutely everyone expect Arsenal. Feels like Son Heung-Min to Score Anytime comes in every time he steps on a pitch at the moment.
Tips for Spurs v Brighton
Spurs to Score in Both Halves
Spurs to Win and Both Teams to Score
Son Heung-Min to Score Anytime
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