Tottenham v Brighton predictions: Conte can claim win after player clearout

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Tottenham v Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.

Where to watch

ITV4, 8pm Saturday

Best bet

Tottenham
2pts 10-11 general

Team news

Tottenham
Heung-Min Son and Cristian Romero are both available after injury. New signings Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski look likely to start on the bench.

Brighton
Lewis Dunk looks set to replace Dan Burn, who has left for Newcastle. Yves Bissouma is back from the Africa Cup of Nations but Alexis Mac Allister, Enock Mwepu and Shane Duffy are all doubtful.

Match preview

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte probably didn't need to witness a woeful first 70 minutes of their FA Cup third-round clash against Morecambe to make his mind up about some of his players but the Spurs teamsheet will look radically different for their fourth-round clash with Brighton.

Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli, Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso, all starters when Tottenham fell behind to the League One strugglers, have been sent packing and it seems unlikely that Conte's starting 11, apart from goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini, will have a reserve-team look to it.

The January transfer window offered a fresh start for the departing players but also for Conte, who looks set to put Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, new signings from Juventus, on the bench.

Tottenham's three defeats of the new year have all come against Chelsea and they failed to lay a glove on Thomas Tuchel's side, emphasising the gap that exists between them and the Champions League winners.

Conte acknowledged that gulf in class, but Spurs should be able to see off Brighton, especially if Heung-Min Son can spring into action on his return up front and Cristian Romero provides some assurance at the back.

Although he didn't make much of an impression in their 2-0 loss to Chelsea in their last game, there is also the chance that Steven Bergwijn will reward the confidence Conte has given him after he seemed destined to return to the Netherlands last month.

There should still be some of the dose from that injection of confidence the Dutchman gained from his two injury-time goals that earned a memorable 3-2 Premier League win at Leicester.

Admittedly, Brighton have proved difficult to beat on the road and Aston Villa are the only team to have seen them off when Graham Potter's side have been on their travels this season.

But the Seagulls finished level at 90 minutes in nine of their last 11 away games and they have been reactive in many of their recent matches, having tended to fall behind before battling back.

They needed extra-time to beat out-of-form Championship hosts West Brom in the last round of the cup and last-minute goals were also required to earn draws from their trips to Crystal Palace, West Ham and Southampton.

Potter will also have to contend with Dan Burn's departure to Newcastle, which will create a gap in his backline.

So, while the statistics may point to a strong possibility of extra-time, there is a feeling that this is now truly the start of the Conte era at Spurs, and his team can mark that by claiming a victory.

Key stat

Brighton have scored the first goal in just two of their last ten matches.

Inside info

Tottenham

Penalty taker Harry Kane
Free-kick wizard Eric Dier
Set-piece aerial threat Davinson Sanchez
Card magnet Oliver Skipp

Brighton

Penalty taker Pascal Gross
Free-kick wizardLeandro Trossard
Set-piece aerial threatLewis Dunk
Card magnetAdam Webster

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