The Argus

But they really do not need to be – and they can turn it into another good point on their return home.

Georginio Rutter ignited his stop-start season with an equaliser deep into added time to keep their nervy hosts in the relegation places.

It was the second time they had come from behind, each of them very late in a half.

Kaoru Mitoma sent home a volley likened to a Marco van Baster by his head coach Fabian Hurzeler to secure their first leveller.

The national and international focus will be Spurs’ continuing plight as they bd to avoid the Championship.

But the big story for Albion is that push for the European stage on which they performed with current Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

And the way they used their bench and players who have had lesser roles to secure a point can stand them in good stead.

It will be a very good result if they can overcome injuries and mental and physical fatigue from this intense contest in North London by the time Chelsea visit the Amex on Tuesday.

That is now looking like a huge game for both teams.

Both levelling goals saw players at fault when Albion conceded then redeem themselves.

Mitoma, on for the injured Diego Gomez, failed to track a run by Pedro Porro as Xavi Simons chipped a nice little ball into the box.

The exposed Bart Verbruggen had to come for the ball but Porro beat him to it to head the 39th-minute opener.

Simons shot against the post moments later although it looked like there was an offside in the build-up.

But Mitoma replied in sensational style with a volley from a precise Pascal Gross cross-field ball.

Albion looked like they could go on to increase home anxieties and take the lead after the break.

But Simons brought the house down on 77 minutes when he stepped inside and curled home via the inside of the post.

That came after Jan Paul van Hecke, bringing the ball out from the back, was caught out by Lucas Bergvall, one of five substitutes who had been introduced in a stoppage immediately before that.

Spurs, though, never totally conquered their nerves.

There was serious alarm in added time when Ferdi Kadioglu hit the side-netting with a volley which many around the stadium thought had gone in.

But no one was any doubt on 90+5 when van Hecke won the ball off Kavin Danso in the Spurs box and cut back for Rutter to crash his finish high into the net.

The injury concerns will focus on Gomez and Mitoma.

There was no clear news on either after the game.

Gomez appeared to land painfully on his knee as he climbed high to contest a header and was clearly in a lot of pain.

And Mitoma asked to be taken off as he sat disconsolately on the turf just before the Simons goal which Spurs hoped was the start of their salvation.

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And that might have special relish for some Seagulls fans of a more veteran age.

The footballing eyes of a nation, and possibly the world, will be on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Roberto De Zerbi’s side bid to climb out of the bottom three.

Failure to win would leave them below the cut-off line with rivals Nottingham Forest and West Ham yet to play this weekend.

The current form, relegation fears and European ambitions of both teams make for quite a plot for Sky Sports’ viewers and those who are at the game in person.

So does the fact it is De Zerb’s first game at home.

But there is another historic edge to this scenario for older Seagulls followers.

Tottenham were last relegated in 1976-77. Their last game in the second tier was a 0-0 draw at Southampton on April 29, 1978.

And that is a game which had massive repercussions for Albion and their adoring fans at the Goldstone Ground in the Alan Mullery era.

Southampton were all but up already in second place and Spurs needed a point to join them. Albion were fourth and still in the race.

This was back in the days when three teams were promoted automatically and there were no play-offs.

Bolton were top and widely expected to secure the title by winning at home to Fulham.

As now, Saints had put together a great run at just the right time, losing one of their final 14 games (when draws were more valuable given only two points were awarded for a win) but Spurs were wobbling and, as now, had just lost to Sunderland.

A Southampton win at The Dell would have allowed Albion into the top flight for the first time in their history if they won.

The Seagulls did their bit with a 2-1 victory over Blackpool but their worst fears from along the coast were realised as Saints and Spurs played out a dull 0-0 draw.

There will always be suspicions over whether the teams settled for that outcome.

Opposing managers Lawrie McMenemy and Keith Burkinshaw did not help matters by walking out for the game arm in arm.

Southampton fanzine The Ugly Inside later wrote: “Getting into the ground on the day early you could sense the tense atmosphere, not in the home sections where we were all but up barring a total collapse and a Brighton goal fest, but in the Archers Road where Spurs fans looked out menacingly through the fences which in places were already showing signs of vandalism.

“On reflection it seemed that Saints were opting to take a point and see Spurs go up and in doing so still have a stadium to play in the next season, and indeed still have fans alive to watch it, there could be a lot of truth in that.”

The last bit there, perhaps slightly over-dramatic, refers to the tension that used to accompany big games in those days.

There were genuine fears of major crowd trouble in the away end should Spurs lose and miss out on their immediate return to the top flight and Southampton spent £6,000 on fences across the front of the terrace.

As for the game itself, were either team – particularly Southampton – trying to win?

The Ugly Inside, with an eye-witness account from a fan who was there, wrote: “The game was tense but it was unexciting with few chances, just about the only one we had fell to Tony Funnell who had been deadly in the past month or so, from close range he hit the post, a bad miss.

“Some said he had been aiming wide and he had nearly scored.”

Hotspurhq.com published a slightly different take, saying: “There were many dramatic moments and Southampton could have scored on a number of occasions but Spurs held on for the point they needed.”

Suspicions will always linger, although it is worth remembering that, as things turned out, Southampton would have won the title had they scored as Bolton were held by Fulham.

Amid the crushing disappointment at the Goldstone, the club reacted as well as they did after a similar near miss in 2016.

Albion’s two promotions to the top flight have both been born out of their response to near misses in the previous seasons.

Mullery, a Spurs legend as a player, went up to the directors’ box, grabbed a microphone and told fans gathered on the pitch that they would go up the following year. Which they did.

Spurs had pipped them by nine in the goal difference column, which was the same score by which they Bristol Rovers in a famous league match that season shown on Match Of The Day.

Despite winning just one of their last seven games, they regained a place among the elite which they have kept ever since.

But it has never been under more threat than now and there are Albion fans with long memories who might enjoy seeing them nudged further into trouble.

Maybe it will be a 0-0 draw with few chances.

His side currently are 18th in the table, two points adrift from safety and yet to win a Premier League match in 2026.

The current Spurs head coach will meet his immediate Seagulls successor, Fabian Hurzeler, knowing a win will take the Lilywhites out of the relegation zone

De Zerbi told his Friday afternoon press conference, “I don't know if we will win the game from dinner.

“The food was amazing and, if we win, I am ready to pay every week for one dinner.

“I believe in the people, the human relationship, the spirit and the soul of the players.

“Before we speak about tactical stuff, possession, set-pieces, these things are important, but I work with people.

“I want to see on the pitch, players that help their team-mates towards one target.

“If we don't achieve our target, everyone will lose something in their career.”

De Zerbi will be without captain Cristian Romero, who sustained a season-ending injury away at Sunderland last week.

He insisted the Argentine is a big loss, but his replacement will be up to the task.

De Zerbi said: “First of all, the people have to know he's suffering because of this injury and because he can't play anymore for us in this season.

“He's a great captain for us and for Tottenham.

“We have to be positive, we have Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso, they are very good to play and give us quality with the ball.”

In Romero’s absence, the 46-year-old said he had yet to decide who his captain will be for his weekend clash with the Seagulls.

More positively for De Zerbi and Spurs fans, Bentancur has returned to training and could make an appearance this weekend.

Yves Bissouma is also in contention again, but Tottenham’s No.1 Guglielmo Vicario, will not play.

James Maddison will not be a part of Tottenham’s matchday squad tomorrow, despite being pictured training yesterday.

And the script has become more enticing since it was chosen for live broadcast.

That is mainly down to Tottenham’s plight in the relegation zone with the added spice of Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival as boss.

Sky Sports have the live broadcast for the 5.30pm kick-off and their build-up gets under way at 5pm.

BBC Radio 5 Live have also snapped up live commentary.

Albion fans may prefer the option of Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall on BBC Radio Sussex.

Their commentary is available on the radio and, online, via Albion’s club website although it cannot be streamed via the popular Sounds app.

However their post-match coverage, including interviews and fans’ calls, CAN be heard via Sounds and that runs from 7.30pm for half an hour.

We will have our customary liveblog and match coverage online, as well as plenty of content via our Albion-dedicated Facebook page.

The Seagulls go into the match with five wins from their last six games, which puts them top of the Prem current form table across that time frame.

Spurs are bottom of the same standings but will be buoyed by De Zerbi’s arrival.

But Fabian Hurzeler is weighing up a start for Kaoru Mitoma.

The Seagulls head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium aiming for a sixth win in seven games.

Hurzeler insisted that will be the main focus although such a result would also ruin Roberto De Zerbi’s home debut as Spurs boss.

Milner missed out at Burnley last Saturday due to an injury suffered in training and Hurzeler said that will again be the case in North London.

Yankuba Minteh was a big threat on the left wing at Turf Moor but Mitoma has also looked strong, fit and dangerous in recent games for both his club and Japan.

Hurzeler said starting Mitoma is an option but he said it in such a way which suggested he would again be asked to make an impact off the bench.

The head coach said: “It's definitely an option (to start with Mitoma).

“Having Kaoru Mitoma fully fit is always great, so definitely a big option for us.

“We know that Kaoru Mitoma can change a game, that Kaoru Mitoma is crucial for us to perform well.

“And we have Yankuba Minteh showing some really good performances on the left side, showing a good connection together with Ferdi.

“It's positive for me to have these two players available and that I can make a decision regarding this.”

Mitoma went on as a half-time substitute at Spurs last season and played a massive part as his side won 4-1 having trailed at the break.

Yasin Ayari came in for Milner at Burnley and is likely to continue while Olivier Boscagli will start in defence with Lewis Dunk suspended.

If Albion remain unchanged, their XI will include five players who have joined the club since De Zerbi left in May, 2024.

Possible Albion XI: Verbruggen; Wieffer, van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Ayari, Gross; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Minteh; Welbeck.

The victory lifted the Seagulls to ninth in the league and within a point of the European qualification places.

Next up is a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they will face former boss Roberto De Zerbi. Spurs find themselves 18th and two points from safety following defeat at Sunderland.

A win on the road could propel Albion as high as sixth should results go in their favour over the weekend.

Here are five reasons why Albion may come back to haunt the Italian this Saturday.

Two teams in completely contrasting form

Albion arrive in outstanding form, having won five of their last six Premier League games, keeping three clean sheets in that time.

With momentum so heavily in Albion’s favour, Spurs fan Will Witts the gap in confidence and quality can see Albion take the three points.

Albion’s head-to-head dominance

Albion have grown increasingly comfortable in this fixture.

Brighton have got the better of Spurs in three of their last five attempts. In fact, you have to go back to 2024 for Tottenham’s last win against Albion.

If recent history is anything to go by, Albion have the upper hand heading into Saturday’s clash.

Brighton’s forward firepower can terrorise Tottenham’s leaky defence

It’s the sort of fixture Albion’s attacking players must be licking their lips at.

Danny Welbeck is enjoying a Premier League season’s best with 12 goals so far. Fabian Hurzeler’s wingers Kaoru Mitoma, Yankuba Minteh and Diego Gomez have also chipped in a combined nine league goals.

Given that Spurs have shipped three goals in their last three home league matches, it seems unlikely that one of these names won’t find themselves on the scoresheet this weekend.

De Zerbi’s worrying start at Brighton

Roberto De Zerbi is no stranger to slow beginnings.

De Zerbi saw his Albion team go winless in their first five games after taking over from Graham Potter. It took several months before his ideas and methods transcended into consistent results.

With Spurs already losing their first game under him, there are concerns that history may be repeating itself – something the Seagulls will hope to exploit.

Tottenham’s injury crisis

Cristian Romero compounded Tottenham fans’ misery against Sunderland as he collided with his goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, and came off in tears with injury.

He joins a long list of Spurs absentees with Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Ben Davies and Wilson Odobert all long-term omissions. Guglielmo Vicario and Rodrigo Bentancur are both closer to a return, yet still doubtful for Saturday.

With such a depleted squad, Tottenham look vulnerable, and Albion have the tools to capitalise.

But their usual first-choice goalkeeper was still missing as they trained three days ahead of the game.

Now Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi will look for a winning home start when his side tackle the Seagulls on Saturday (5.30pm).

They lost key defender Cristian Romero to a knee injury when they went down 1-0 at Sunderland on Sunday.

But the recently absent Rodrigo Bentancur was involved as they worked on Wednesday under the guidance of De Zerbi, Bruno and coaching staff.

Bentancur has not played since January and has undergone hamstring surgery.

But there were promising signs of a return in the midweek session.

Guglielmo Vicario was not spotted in the session, part of which was shown by Sky Sports News.

That could indicate Antonin Kinsky will continue between the sticks.

The Czech had a torrid time away to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League recently although he performed well at the Stadium Of Light.

De Zerbi insists he cannot make big changes to the way Spurs play.

He said: “My job is not now to change the style of play, I did two or three things with the ball, two or three things without the ball.

“The crucial part is not with the ball or without the ball. It’s in our mentality to be positive, but to be positive just because we have the quality enough to win a game.”

But the Italian will have a very different off-field team to that which backed him at the Seagulls.

Notably, Andrea Maldera is not a part of the line-up revealed by Spurs ahead of De Zerbi’s first match in charge.

Marcattilio Marcattilii, who worked with his compatriot at Albion, has been named first team fitness coach.

And Marcello Quinto has been appointed senior professional development phase coach.

Maldera was widely expected to be a part of the new set-up.

He was a valued sidekick of De Zerbi at previous clubs, including Marseille, and stepped in as head coach at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when his boss was suspended for a fixture two years ago.

Nor is there a role for Enrico Venturelli, who was a familiar sight at De Zerbi’s press conferences at Albion as he helped with translation.

Bruno was one of six members of staff who left the Seagulls early in the 2022-23 season bound for Chelsea, leaving the stage for De Zerbi and his sizeable staff to take over.

De Zerbi’s first training sessions appear to have caused a positive reaction among those who follow Spurs closely.

His side head to Sunderland at the weekend before hosting Albion a week on Saturday.

The Italian has joined the relegation candidates on a five-year contract, subject to a work permit.

Speaking to the Tottenham Hotspur media, Roberto De Zerbi said: "I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world.

“In all my discussions with the club’s leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters.

"I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it.

“Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season.

"I’m looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that.”

Roberto managed Brighton to the Europa League during a two-year Premier League spell.

On his departure from the south coast of England, he'd said: "I am very sad to be leaving Brighton...

"But I am very proud of what my players and staff have achieved with the support of everyone at the club and our amazing fans in the past two historical seasons".

After that he achieved a runner-up finish with Marseille in the 2024/25 season, leaving the French side this February.