‘Struggle badly’ – Paul Merson shares his Brighton v Spurs score prediction

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has shared his prediction ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash against Brighton and Hove Albion later this evening.

Tottenham head into the match in the Amex Stadium without a win in their last two outings in all competitions, having suffered their first top flight defeat of the new campaign in last weekend’s north London derby and were held to a goalless draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday.

Spurs are once again without Dejan Kulusevski with Antonio Conte’s side having missed the impact of the Swede in the attacking third of the pitch.

Merson believes that it will be another frustrating outing for Tottenham and tipped the Seagulls to take all three points from the encounter.

He told SportsKeeda: “Tottenham looked rattled against Arsenal and just as they tried to claw their way back into the game, it was half-time and that allowed the Gunners to take complete control. I don’t know what Emerson Royal was doing, he’s not good enough and his side were embarrassed by their local rivals owing to his red card.

“I think Brighton will win this game, I liked what I saw against Liverpool. They dominated the Reds at Anfield and came away with a well-deserved point thanks to a Leandro Trossard hat-trick. Roberto de Zerbi has set quite the first impression and I’m excited to see what Brighton can do under his tutelage.

“Dejan Kulusevski has been a big miss for Tottenham, they are a much better team when he plays. Richarlison has had a decent start to life at his new club, but with all due respect to him, Spurs look much better with Kulusevski on the pitch and Richarlison coming on to run at tired legs.

“Tottenham fans have voiced their frustrations in recent weeks and this is what happens when you don’t win a few games as it’s a results business at the end of the day. That said, Antonio Conte has made Spurs a much better team and he’s a world-class manager who has won plenty of trophies across Europe. If you’re playing three at the back, your wingbacks need to be phenomenal, as is the case with Chelsea.

“With Tottenham, though, Emerson Royal is not good enough and tends to struggle badly when he’s off it. I like Ivan Perisic, but he isn’t getting any younger, so Conte has a thing or two to think about. Their midfielders also play it too safe at times, so it could well be said results have papered over the cracks at the start of the season for Tottenham.”

Prediction: Brighton 2-0 Tottenham

SpursWeb Opinion

Brighton looked impressive at Anfield last weekend having ground out a 3-3 draw which is no mean feat on Merseyside. Spurs need to dust themselves off after a tough week both on and off the pitch and return to winning ways.

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