Can Roberto De Zerbi pull a fast one on former club as Tottenham host Brighton?

As if Roberto De Zerbi's return to the Premier League was not dramatic enough, now his struggling Tottenham side host his former club Brighton in his first home game as head coach.

While Spurs have been struggling for some time, many have assumed they will claw their way out of their plight, but their humbling defeat to Sunderland last weekend has placed them as favourites for relegation.

With West Ham United and Nottingham Forest showing better form, the North Londoners need to pick up points fast, starting with their clash against the Seagulls on Saturday.

So can De Zerbi get one over his former employer and mount a survival bid? Here, DAZN News takes a closer look at the fixture.

Can Roberto De Zerbi beat Brighton at their own game?

Given what De Zerbi achieved on the South Coast, it is understandable why he is regarded by some Brighton supporters as their greatest ever manager.

During his time at the AMEX Stadium, the Italian guided the club to a sixth-place finish, securing Europa League qualification, the highest they have been in their entire history.

Not only did he produce results, but he also employed an attractive style of football based on possession and playing out from the back, something that he wants to implement on his Tottenham team.

"I want to keep the ball," De Zerbi said.

"I want to see again the Tottenham I watched with [Ange] Postecoglou. In my second season in Brighton, there was Postecoglou here with a lot of these players, and it was one of the best teams in terms of quality of play.

"With Pedro Porro, with Destiny Udogie, with Micky van de Ven, with Cristian Romero, with this squad, and I would like to see it again. The DNA of this club, of this squad, is to find the goal, to score!"

While the 46-year-old may want his new squad to play this way, it was evident from their performance against the Black Cats that this may be too much to put on his side in such little time.

ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images

Why Tottenham may struggle against Fabian Hurzeler's side

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been anything other than a fortress, and it will be intriguing to see if the supporters give their side as raucous a reception as they did before their defeat to Nottingham Forest.

If Spurs are to take anything from the game, they will have to do so without captain Romero after his potential season-ending injury suffered against Sunderland.

On top of that, Guglielmo Vicario remains out, meaning Antonin Kinsky will likely remain between the sticks following his positive performance at the Stadium of Light.

However, it is not only a depleted squad that the Lilywhites must worry about, but the form of their opponents.

In February, Fabian Hurzeler's job was being questioned following a poor run of results, although their performances were not lacking; now they are on a rampant run of form and charging towards a European place.

Indeed, if De Zerbi does target a possession-based approach, then it will likely backfire as Brighton have Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma as devastating weapons on the break.

Getty

What changes should De Zerbi make to his Spurs team?

Nobody can fault the former Marseille boss' intent to attack last weekend as he went with a front three of Randal Kolo Muani, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke, but it clearly did not work.

The Brazilian was able to create the most chances in front of goal, but his weak finishing may come back to bite him as Mathys Tel will surely return as a natural winger.

In the middle, Lucas Bergvall was anonymous, although probably lacking in match fitness, so could Xavi Simons be given the nod and provide that creative spark Spurs have been so desperately missing?

While De Zerbi knows how he wants his team to play, time is of the essence, and maybe now he understands that picking up points is far more important than attractive football.

With six games to go, Tottenham must treat this like a mini-season, but questions remain over whether they have the bottle to pull off a great escape.

How to watch the Premier League in Canada

Soccer fans in Canada can watch every Premier League match during the 2025-26 season on DAZN.

With Fubo Sports on DAZN, Canadians can catch Premier League action as well as Serie A. Additionally, DAZN is the home of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Bundesliga, and more.

For pricing information and to sign up to watch, click here.