Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Arsenal: EPL Match Preview & Prediction

Get ready for the exciting matchup between Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal in the Premier League. Read our match preview and prediction to find out what to expect from this game.

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Daniel A.
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Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Arsenal: EPL Match Preview & Prediction

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Arsenal: EPL Match Preview & Prediction

Saturday night's Premier League encounter pits Arsenal against Brighton & Hove Albion on the South Coast. It marks Arsenal's first trip outside of London in ten matches.

Just a few days after Brighton's incredible comeback to tie 2-2 with Aston Villa, Mikel Arteta's side began the new year with a stunning 3-1 victory against Brentford.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

After scoring an unprecedented 85 points in the Premier League last season, Arsenal took the first three points available in 2025, further breaching Brentford's defenses.

Before Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli scored in short succession to secure Arsenal's win, the revitalized Gabriel Jesus got the championship outsiders back on equal footing after Bryan Mbeumo mercilessly exposed the Gunners' defensive weaknesses on the road.

Arsenal may be celebrating Arteta's crop's fourth consecutive victory across all competitions and their third successive Premier League victory. Still, leaders Liverpool's impressive form keeps them six points behind the Gunners in second place. Liverpool still has a game in hand.

While Arsenal patiently wait for one of their top-flight opponents to hand them a loss against Arne Slot's team, they have been carrying themselves with poise and professionalism, winning nine of their last twelve matches.

Surprisingly, Arsenal played all nine of their games in London, which is their longest-record run of consecutive games in the city. Saturday's game will be their first away game since their 5-1 Champions League dismantling of Sporting Lisbon on November 26.

After Simon Adingra scored for Fabian Hurzeler's club, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers seemed to cut the Seagulls' wings. Unai Emery, the former Gunners manager, also supervised a four-goal thriller at Villa Park on Monday evening.

Nevertheless, an unexpected hero emerged in the form of Tariq Lamptey, who scored a fantastic equalizer in the dying minutes of regular time to help Brighton finish 2024 with a draw. Prior to Christmas, they had drawn a draw with Brentford and West Ham United.

The Seagulls' European push has stalled due to a winless run of seven matches; as a result, Saturday's hosts are in the thick of Premier League action, five points behind Newcastle United for the Europa League spot.

With nine draws so far this season, Hurzeler's Brighton side has more Premier League stalemates than any other club. If this trend continues, Hurzeler might become the first manager in the league since 1999 to have at least ten draws in his first twenty matches.

While Declan Rice's perplexing red card took the stage in one of those previous one-pointers earlier this season at the Emirates, Arsenal have triumphed in their past two trips to the Amex, scoring three goals each time.

Brighton & Hove Albion x Arsenal Team News

Unfortunately, Arsenal's midweek victory was marred by Jurrien Timber's yellow card, which resulted in his suspension. With Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu out with knee injuries, the Gunners are now without a designated right back.

Thomas Partey will likely play as a substitute fullback once again unless Arteta starts 18-year-old Joshua Nichols. This would allow either Kai Havertz or Rice, who were both benched for Brentford's victory owing to sickness, to return to the middle of the pitch.

It would be surprising if 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri kept his starting position against Brentford with the rapid turnaround time, considering that Raheem Sterling (knee) and Bukayo Saka (hamstring) were both out. Arteta gave Nwaneri his first Premier League start.

Although Arsenal have lost a fullback, Brighton manager Paul Hurzeler is keeping his fingers crossed that Pervis Estupinan, who was unwell and missed Arsenal's match against Villa, will be able to play against the Gunners.

While Adam Webster could make a surprise return from his hamstring injury that has sidelined him for 13 matches, Jack Hinshelwood is close to making a similar comeback from his knee injury. Unfortunately, Danny Welbeck, Mats Wieffer, Evan Ferguson, James Milner, and Ferdi Kadioglu will all be out with injuries.

Diego Gomez's £11 million deal from Inter Miami is now official as the January transfer window opens, but the midfielder will not get a first-team opportunity this coming weekend.

Our Predictions

Arsenal to win @ 1.82 on Sky247.ng

Before their scoreless draw with Brentford on December 27, Brighton had scored and surrendered in six straight Premier League home games; against an Arsenal team that has had trouble keeping a clean sheet away from home recently, the goals should flow again.

But Arteta's squad is doing well offensively even without Saka, and we're expecting them to win 3-1 again this year and keep Liverpool from extending their lead in the Premier League.

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