Tottenham must be wary with Brighton ace Kaoru Mitoma in line to return on Saturday
Tottenham could be forced to contend with the return of Brighton forward Kaoru Mitoma when the two teams meet on Saturday 10 February.
Spurs will host the Seagulls at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a Premier League clash which could have big implications on the race for European football.
Brighton will be looking to do the double over Ange Postecoglou’s side after a convincing 4-2 victory at the Amex Stadium on Thursday 28 December.
Tottenham struggled to live with Roberto De Zerbi’s side that evening, and it doesn’t look as if things will be any easier for the North London club this time around with Mitoma in line to make his return.
Just like Son Heung-min, the 26-year-old is back in England after AFC Asian Cup heartbreak.
Mitoma and Japan were knocked out at the quarter-final stage after a 2-1 defeat to host nation Qatar on Saturday 3 February. As per The Argus (8 February), the winger is back on the south coast and has been spotted in first-team training with his club.
Tottenham must be switched on
Mitoma last featured for Brighton on 21 December in a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, and Spurs supporters will feel hard done by that his potential return almost two months later just happens to come against them.
He was taken off with an injury that day, and initial reports suggested he would be out for six weeks and as a result miss the Asian Cup (BBC Sport, 27 December).
However, he returned quicker than expected and was able to play a part off the bench in the knockout stages of the international showpiece.
With some minutes under his belt, he could now return against Spurs and look to cause the North London side some problems.
In his last appearance for Brighton against Palace just before Christmas, Mitoma completed 91 per cent of his passes and had two shots on target as he looked to cause the hosts problems (Sofascore).
While he hasn’t been at his best this season, he still has three goals and four assists in 17 Premier League appearances, and he is a player who possesses the quality to turn it on at any given point, as Wolves found out earlier in the season.
During Brighton’s 4-1 win at Molineux on 19 August, Mitoma scored and provided an assist while he also played four key passes, completed 89 per cent of his overall passes, made two tackles and won five ground duels on a day where he was at his electrifying best.
His season has been slightly stop-start since that point, but after so long away from Brighton, he will be keen to hit the ground running again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Pedro Porro will be the man who has the task of dealing with him, and Postecoglou will need to ensure his right-back is up to the challenge.
Porro has had an excellent season, but his form has dipped ever so slightly as of late. In the 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday 26 January, Porro struggled defensively as he was dribbled past twice.
Meanwhile, in Spurs’ most recent outing, a 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday 3 February, the 24-year-old failed to make a single tackle or interception while he also lost the one aerial duel he contested.
In addition to this, Porro won’t have happy memories of the last time Spurs faced Brighton. While he did grab an assist in the 4-2 defeat, he also gave the ball away 20 times, made an error which led to a shot, completed just 75 per cent of his passes and missed one big chance.
If Mitoma is at his best, this could be an issue, and Postecoglou will need to ensure he has a plan up his sleeve to deal with the Japan international.
In other Tottenham news, Johan Lange has insisted there is “more to come” from one 100 per cent Spurs ace.
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