Brighton vs Tottenham team news: Surprise absentee as injury problems seemingly worsen

There are five changes to the Brighton side which beat Crystal Palace 4-1 last weekend.

Jason Steele starts in goal and Kaoru Mitoma has returned to the team, whilst Adam Lallana, Pervis Estupinan and Danny Welbeck also come in.

Bart Verbruggen and Evan Ferguson drop to the bench, with Jack Hinshelwood and Joao Pedro missing out through foot and hamstring injuries respectively.

A surprise absentee is Igor Julio, who is missing from the squad entirely. It is currently unclear if he is injured or unavailable for other reasons.

Joel Veltman has recovered from his knee injury and he starts on the bench, alongside Ansu Fati.

Also missing today is the Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi, who is suspended due to an accumulation of bookings. He has not made the trip to North London after undergoing dental treatment.

His understudy Andrea Maldera spoke to the media during the pre-match press conference on Friday (February 9).

"Joao Pedro unfortunately has an injury in the hamstring and he cannot play tomorrow," Maldera said.

"He had a scan a few days ago and he needs another one. We don’t know how many weeks away he will be out for, we don’t want to take a risk."

Brighton’s homegrown star Jack Hinshelwood is set for an extended period out of action after suffering a fractured foot, it has been reported.

According to The Athletic, the 18-year-old has suffered a stress fracture of the foot, which requires surgery. It is ‘unclear’ how long Hinshelwood will be out of action.