Tottenham Hotspur have faced a number of critical moments in the Premier League over the past few months, but the home contest against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday carries new weight.
The Londoners have slipped into the relegation zone, and with only six fixtures remaining this season, the threat is becoming real for a side who have never been relegated from the top flight in its modern format.
Roberto De Zerbi has been drafted in to save the day, but his first match at the helm left a lot to be desired. Tottenham were defeated at Sunderland last weekend, now staring down the barrel of a gun, with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and West Ham United both against favourable opponents, a hungover Crystal Palace side and 19th-place Burnley.
While the Lilywhites are in an imperilled position, they have received some good news on the injury front as they prepare to secure their first Premier League win of 2026.
The latest Spurs team news vs Brighton
Moreover, Guglielmo Vicario will miss out once again as he recovers from a hernia operation, although the Italian shot-stopper is set to return before the end of the month.
Tottenham have struggled for creativity in the Premier League this season, overperforming their expected goals by a considerable margin.
The continued absence of players such as Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert emphasises the severity of Tottenham's crisis, to be sure, but De Zerbi still needs to get a tune out of his current crop.
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
Xavi Simons has to return to the starting line-up, but Spurs also need some security in the centre of the park, and while Yves Bissouma has been cleared to play, there is another midfielder returning to the pack who could make a difference.
Spurs must unleash the new Dembele
Tottenham need some of their star players to return from injury, and while Rodrigo Bentancur is among the highest-profile members of De Zerbi's team, many fans might have picked someone else to pull from the infirmary.
However, this is still a boost for a midfield that is not clicking. Conor Gallagher has been abject since returning from injury, and Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are young, brilliant though they are, and could do with some support.
That's where Bentancur comes in. Though he had been described as being one of several "pretty clear weaknesses" in Thomas Frank's squad by journalist Mitch Fretton, the Uruguayan midfielder has been performing well below the standard he will have internally set for himself. Indeed, he has excelled in the Premier League before.
Bentancur has been sidelined since January, last playing under Frank. He did not feature under Tudor's guidance, a representation of the sheer scale of Spurs' fitness woes.
An industrious player, the 28-year-old's passing has left a lot to be desired this season, but across 20 Premier League outings, he has averaged five ball recoveries per game while winning 60% of his ground battles and completing 59% of his duels.
If he can channel that skillset and shape himself into something positive, he could even play with a Mousa Dembele-esque sheen that could be crucial in the final weeks of the season, having been likened to the retired Belgian in the past.
Dembele was one of the finest midfielders Tottenham have had in many years, effortless on the ball and as clever as they come. He read the game like a scholar, and correspondent actually remarked that Bentancur had similarities to the iconic star when he arrived under Antonio Conte's wing in 2022.
Injuries have inhibited Bentancur, but he may yet turn his career around on N17, and now would be the perfect time for him to reannounce himself as a top-class part of this team.
Tottenham can ill-afford any more slip-ups. Time is running out. Bentancur might feel like a pragmatic option to bring into midfield, but he knows how to control and direct a game, and with Gallagher so horribly out of sorts, it could be the perfect addition for De Zerbi's team on Saturday.