Tottenham Hotspur are cursing the arrival of the October international break after an impressive run of five consecutive victories in all competitions.
Spurs have left a difficult spell at the start of the campaign in style, showing the heights they can reach during last weekend’s 3-0 demolition of ten-man Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Sunday’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion will be Tottenham’s last game before the next international period and they will be looking to sign off with victory on the south coast. They will be without skipper Heung-min Son, but their recent displays have shown they can manage without the relentless South Korean.
Here’s how Tottenham could line up Brighton.
GK: William Vicar – Brighton will have no such weekend and have shown their attacking potential with Fabian Hurzeler. Vicario will be busy on the south coast and will have to keep an eye on the plays with Lewis Dunk hanging around.
RB: Pedro Porro – The Spaniard hasn’t offered the same threat in the final third for Spurs this season, but Brighton’s top line can offer him encouragement to push forward in the overlap.
CB: Cristian Romero – Romero played the 90 inches Thursday’s 2-1 win against Ferencvaros in Hungary and he will be expected to do the same at the Amex Stadium. Silencing the in-form Danny Welbeck will be his key task.
CB: Micky van de Ven – We already knew Van de Ven was quick, but his run and assist against Man Utd was reminiscent of the early Thierry Henry. Now that’s a marauding centre-back.
LB: Destiny Udogie – The Italian withdrew at half-time at Old Trafford with a slight injury, but Ange Postecoglou has assured supporters that he should be available on Sunday. The left-back may be forced to contend with the speedy Yankuba Minteh.
CM: Dejan Kulusevski – Kulusevski has thrived since moving into midfield and dazzled at Old Trafford last weekend. A goal capped an impressive display and will be key to pulling the strings at the Amex.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – Operating as a lone defensive midfielder in the Spurs midfield is a tough job and Bentancur is unlikely to be offered too much support from his midfield mates this weekend. It’s an area that Brighton will be looking to expose.
CM: James Maddison – Integral to Tottenham’s impressive start to last season, Maddison is finally returning to his best at the start of the new campaign. He still has material left to find, though.
RW: Brennan Johnson – Five goals in successive games is a remarkable record by anyone’s standards and Johnson is in the form of his life bombarding Tottenham’s right flank. He was another standout player in last weekend’s win against Man Utd.
ST: Dominic Solanle – After an injury-plagued first month of his Tottenham career, goals have come easy for Solanke in recent weeks. He fits the Spurs system perfectly and has taken little time to adjust to the new environment.
LW: Timo Werner – God loves a trier, but Werner’s persistence in the face of adversity is amazing. Despite missing many clear-cut chances each week, he continues to show relentless energy levels every game.
