Xavi, Tel and Bissouma start - The Tottenham team Roberto De Zerbi must pick vs Brighton

We asked our Tottenham reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor to name the team they would pick to face Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday

Tottenham must find a way to win their first Premier League game of 2026 as they welcome Roberto De Zerbi's old team Brighton on Saturday.

Spurs lie perilously in 18th place and two points behind West Ham, three behind Nottingham Forest and six behind Leeds after their surprise win at Manchester United. Now De Zerbi will make his home debut against the Seagulls at a time when his former side are top of the Premier League form table while his current club are bottom of it, and have been for months.

De Zerbi's first game as Tottenham head coach brought a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland and the Italian went for a safe team for his debut at the Stadium of Light.

We asked our Tottenham reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor to name the starting XI they would pick to face Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday with the club needing to turn things around.

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham correspondent

Antonin Kinsky should start again with Guglielmo Vicario not seemingly training yet and Kevin Danso will likely replace the injured Cristian Romero in the back four which otherwise kept Sunderland to just Nordi Mukiele's hugely deflected effort.

In midfield I'd go for Archie Gray again but with an unexpected choice alongside him as De Zerbi needs a progressive ball player in the middle of the pitch. Right now that's not Joao Palhinha and it's not the out-of-sorts Conor Gallagher, while Rodrigo Bentancur is not fit enough to start yet.

Yves Bissouma has made just the eight appearances but he will move the ball quickly and forward to where the team need it to be. Taking on his old side Brighton will bring with it a further point to prove and when he's on song, Bissouma can be superb as he was in the final stages of the Europa League last season.

I'd also go with a 4-2-3-1 system that becomes a 4-3-3 so I can fit Lucas Bergvall's energy and running into a role that is kind of the right but tucking in to allow Pedro Porro to get down the flank.

In the number 10 role it has to be Xavi Simons. The Dutchman has created more chances for the north London side than any other player this season, played more than double the amount of through balls, won the third most duels and his expected assists tally (3.56) is far beyond anyone else in the team.

Mathys Tel needs to come back in on the left as he's the only winger capable of beating a man and up top it's a straight shoot-out between Dominic Solanke and Richarlison. De Zerbi believes the former is a crucial player so it could be him who gets the nod.

Gold's team: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Bissouma; Bergvall, Xavi, Tel; Solanke

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Ryan Taylor - Sports reporter

I feel as though the majority of the team picks itself in the absence of Cuti Romero. Kevin Danso steps in and Antonin Kinsky performed well at Sunderland so there's no need to try and rush Guglielmo Vicario back.In midfield, I like the energy of Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray but right wing remains a big problem. I'd have Lucas Bergvall out there, tucking in so Pedro Porro can overlap.Xavi Simons and Mathys Tel deserve a chance to impress after missing out at the Stadium of LightTaylor's team: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Sarr; Bergvall, Xavi, Tel; Solanke