Tottenham vs Brighton: Kick-off time in India, TV details and lineups as De Zerbi faces former club
Tottenham Hotspur’s survival fight takes center stage on Saturday as they welcome Brighton, with new head coach Roberto De Zerbi looking to ignite a turnaround against the club where he made his Premier League name. De Zerbi began his Spurs tenure with a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland last weekend, a result that left Tottenham in the relegation zone.
They sit 18th on 30 points, two behind West Ham United in 17th after the Hammers’ win over Wolves, with six games remaining. De Zerbi’s former side arrive in form: Brighton have won three in a row and five of their last six, and are ninth as they push for European qualification.
It was at Brighton that De Zerbi first impressed in England, taking the club into Europe in his first season and then to the Europa League knockout stages the next. His successor, Fabian Hürzeler, has the Seagulls trending upward again.
Five wins in six have lifted them to 46 points, one off the European places, after they missed out last season by finishing eighth, five points behind Nottingham Forest, who reached the Europa League this season. Brighton’s run-in includes Chelsea, Newcastle, Leeds and Wolves before a final-day home match against Manchester United, and they are targeting at least four wins from their remaining fixtures.
Injuries have dogged Spurs throughout the campaign. Captain Cristian Romero is expected to miss the rest of the season after sustaining a knee injury in the Sunderland defeat. Reports indicate he could be sidelined for up to eight weeks, potentially affecting his World Cup involvement with Argentina.
Romero joins Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Ben Davies and Wilson Odobert on the long-term absentee list. Kick-off is on Saturday, April 18, at 10 p.m. IST (5:30 p.m. BST; 12:30 p.m. ET; and 2:30 a.m. AEST on Sunday). The match is scheduled to be broadcast on JioHotstar in India, Sky Sports Main Event in the UK, NBC in the U.S., and Stan Sport in Australia.
Listed lineups: Tottenham: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Gallagher, Bentancur; Kolo Muani, Solanke, Simons. Subs: Austin, Dragusin, Palhinha, Richarlison, Maddison, Tel, Gray, Bergvall, Spence. Brighton: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Ayari, Gross, Gomez; Hinshelwood, Minteh, Welbeck.
Subs: Steele, Julio, De Cuyper, Veltman, O'Riley, Baleba, Rutter, Kostoulas, Mitoma. With the fixtures running out, Spurs need points urgently to climb out of danger, while Brighton will see North London as another chance to sustain their late-season push for Europe.