“Brighton’s leading goal scorer, Joao Pedro, has been ruled out of Saturday’s Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (3pm UK time) due to a hamstring injury. The striker, who has scored eight goals in the Premier League this season, sustained the injury recently.
During the pre-match press conference on Friday, Brighton’s first team coach, Andrea Maldera, provided an update, stating, “Joao Pedro unfortunately has a hamstring injury and will be unavailable for tomorrow’s match. He underwent a scan a few days ago, and another one is needed. We are uncertain about the duration of his absence, and we don’t want to take any risks.”
In more positive news for Brighton, Kaoru Mitoma returns to the squad after representing Japan at the Asia Cup. Maldera mentioned, “Kaoru is available, but Roberto (De Zerbi, manager) has asked for an assessment of his condition. Kaoru has trained well, but he has had a lot of travel this week. We will make a decision tonight or tomorrow morning. He is definitely in the squad, but we are unsure if he will start. Nonetheless, he is an important player for us.