Spurs vs Brighton

Competition: Premier League

Date: 18th April 2026

Venue: The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 17:30 (BST)

TV: Where to Watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

While Tottenham have not yet come out with an official statement on Romero, it has been well-reported that the centre-back will sit out the rest of the campaign with a partial MCL tear, albeit one that should not derail his World Cup chances.

For now, Romero joins fellow knee victims Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and James Maddison in the treatment room, as well as Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Ben Davies (ankle), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh) and Guglielmo Vicario (hernia), but the latter may have a slim chance of returning for the weekend.

Kevin Danso is primed and ready to fill the Romero void for the rest of the season, while Mathys Tel and Xavi Simons should stick their hands up for starts after Spurs' ineffective attacking display at the Stadium of Light.

De Zerbi and Hurzeler can sympathise when it comes to the absence of an integral defender, as Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk must serve the second of a two-game ban for accumulating 10 yellow cards this weekend.

Adam Webster (knee) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee) are keeping Dunk company on the sidelines, but Hurzeler could welcome James Milner back from a "minor, minor injury" that the 40-year-old sustained in training before the Burnley success.

However, the Seagulls are still blessed with the talents of another veteran midfielder in Pascal Gross, who has created 24 chances since rejoining Brighton in January – the fourth-most in the division over that time period.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Gallagher; Tel, Simons, Richarlison; Solanke

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Ayari, Gross; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Minteh; Welbeck

 Key lines from news conference:

• De Zerbi confirmed that Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero is out for season and said: "I am really sorry for him, for his injury. Romero, first of all, loves Tottenham, and the people have to know his suffering."
• Goakeeper Guglielmo Vicario remains out: "I am looking forward to working with him. He is another important player for us with big experience and a big personality. We are waiting for him."
• Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is available to play, although De Zerbi does not know if he will start, while Yves Bissouma is "100%" ready to play.
• The Spurs boss said he does not want to "push" England forward James Maddison, who has not played since suffering a torn ACL in pre-season
• On Maddison's return: "It's better to lose [Maddison] for one game more than to take a risk for another injury."
• On taking the team out for a meal: "I don't know if we win the game for [this] dinner, but we ate very well. The food was amazing and if we win I am ready to pay every week one dinner."
• On facing former club Brighton: "I love Brighton, I love my former players and all people working in this club. Fabian [Hurzeler] is working very well and is credit for what they are doing."
• De Zerbi said he has not decided who will captain the side in Romero's absence, but added: "I would like all players to feel they could be a captain. We can't cry, we have to push and be stronger to come out of this situation."

Match Stats

• Tottenham are winless in their last three Premier League games against Brighton (D1 L2), having previously never gone more than once without a win against the Seagulls in the top-flight.
• Brighton have won two of their last four away league games against Spurs (L2), including a 4-1 victory last season. They’d only won one of their first nine visits between 1977 and 2020 (D2 L6).
• Brighton have scored 14 goals in their last five Premier League games against Spurs (2.8 per game), having scored just 10 in their first 12 against them in the competition (0.8 per game).
• Tottenham are the only Premier League side without a win in 2026, winning none of 14 games (D5 L9). It’s their second-longest winless league run in their history, only having a longer stretch without a win between December 1934 and April 1935 (16 games).
• Brighton and Hove Albion have won five of their last six Premier League matches (L1), as many wins as they’d had in their previous 20 combined. Since MD27, they’ve won more points than any other team (15).
• Tottenham Hotspur have won just one of their last 26 Premier League matches played across January, February, March, April and May (D7 L18), and are winless in their last 21 games in those months since a 3-1 win over Southampton last April.
• Brighton have won their last three away Premier League games – they’ve never won four in a row in the top-flight. The Seagulls have also kept a clean sheet in all three wins, last winning four on the bounce on the road in the league without conceding in March 2011 in League One.
• This will be Roberto De Zerbi’s first home Premier League game in charge of Spurs – only one of the previous 13 managers to take charge of Spurs have lost their first home game, though it was his predecessor Igor Tudor in February against Arsenal. Spurs have lost their last four home games, only losing five in a row once in their league history in February 1994.
• Since his first start of his second spell at Brighton on 7th January, only three players have created more chances in the Premier League than Pascal Groß (24), while he also ranks second for passes into the box (108) behind Bruno Fernandes (139), and the German is top for successful crosses (28).
• Roberto De Zerbi’s first home Premier League game in charge of Brighton was against Tottenham in October 2022, losing 1-0. It’s the first time in Premier League history a manager’s first home game in charge of two clubs has been the same fixture.

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

Brighton have been in superb form, I think they're in ninth at the minute, and they've got a chance of getting into a European place. 

I don't have any belief in Spurs, either. I think what we saw last weekend at Sunderland, it wouldn't fill me with confidence that they can get something at home under huge pressure. I've got no belief in them so I'm going to say a Brighton away win.

Brighton win

Paul Merson

This is a must-win game for Spurs. My head is going with, 'this is Spurs, sooner or later, it will all change and they won't go down'. But every time I watch them play, I'm reminded of how bad they are!

They played that game against Sunderland like a two-legged tie. When you are trailing 1-0 and in a relegation battle, you just have to go all in. Tottenham's goal difference is better than the other teams at risk of relegation. So why not bomb forward? That is my problem with them.

I've said all season that Tottenham will not get relegated. But now, I'm leaning more towards them going down. When I watch them play, I can't see where they are going to get the results they need to avoid the drop.

If Tottenham win this game, this could all change. But let's not forget that we're in April and they still haven't won a game since the turn of the year.

Should West Ham and Nottingham Forest win this weekend, they need at least two more wins to avoid relegation. How do you trust a team in such woeful form to get them wins?

Brighton are playing well and I'm backing them to secure a win and condemn Spurs to another shocking defeat like last weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

Chris Sutton

After Spurs lost to Sunderland in his first match in charge, Roberto de Zerbi said his players need a father figure, not a coach. He is trying to build their confidence but maybe that means he is not coaching them the way he wants to.

It's a bit of a head-scratcher, but then Tottenham's entire season has not made much sense. When you look at their team and their bench, they have got some incredible players.

Somehow, though, Spurs are still waiting for their first Premier League win of the year after playing 14 league games already in 2026. Looking at the table, they will need three wins, or at least two, from their final six games if they are going to climb out of the relegation zone and stay up.

They really should not be in this position but I am not sure they have got the stomach to get out of it now they are.

I just don't think they will get one of those wins against Brighton, who have come into a bit of form.

The Seagulls are on a run of three successive victories, and have five wins in their past six games. I can see things going wrong for De Zerbi against his old club, so I am backing Brighton to nick the points here.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

COYS