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Sports Illustrated

Sport

James Cormack

Brighton vs. Arsenal: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Arsenal Brighton (Organization) EPL Fabian Hürzeler Liverpool Salah Yasin Ayari Bukayo Saka Christian Nørgaard Danny Welbeck Seagulls

Arsenal’s quest to claim a first Premier League title in 22 years move to Falmer on Wednesday night, as they take on Brighton & Hove Albion at the AMEX Stadium.

After dropping points in back-to-back games at Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Mikel Arteta‘s side steadied themselves to claim two huge victories in a pair of all-London grudge matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

There wasn’t much by way of open-play success on Sunday, but the Gunners leaned on set-piece supremacy to bypass the Blues and ensured Manchester City’s victory at Leeds United was matched.

Thus, they remain five points clear at the summit, but City will cash in their game in hand at some point and are also hosting Arsenal in a potential title-decider next month.

All Arsenal can do is keep winning, but Wednesday’s trip to the south coast is likely to throw up a few challenges. Brighton seemed to be stagnating under Fabian Hürzeler, but back-to-back wins has reignited hope among Seagulls supporters.

At risk of sleepwalking into potential relegation trouble, their recent successes mean Hürzeler’s side are suddenly outsiders to play European football next season. The Seagulls are 11th and just six points adrift of seventh-placed Brentford.

Brighton vs. Arsenal Score Prediction

Gunners to Claim Third-Straight Win

William Saliba — Set-pieces helped Arsenal to victory at the weekend. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

If Arsenal are to record a third win on the bounce midweek, they may have to do it from open play. According to Opta, Brighton have conceded the joint-fewest set-piece goals in the Premier League this season (five), but one of those did come in the reverse fixture.

Excluding the north London derby, Arsenal have stuttered in attack as of late, and Brighton’s recent improvement could make for a challenging evening. However, with City building momentum heading at the right time, it’s time for Arteta’s side to show us what they’re made of. They must continue to answer to City’s results until they visit the Etihad Stadium for the all-important clash.

Road warriors: Despite recently dropping points at the Gtech Community Stadium and Molineux, Arsenal have still claimed five more than anyone else away from home in the Premier League this season.
Nerves steadied: Those two derby wins should’ve helped the Gunners settle, even if there was little conviction about their performance on Sunday. Arsenal aren’t exactly entering hostile territory on Wednesday night, with a more relaxed atmosphere potentially facilitating a less fraught occasion under the lights for the visitors.
Profligate Brighton: The hosts must be efficient in front of goal if they’re to take points off the league leaders with the best defensive record. However, Brighton are the sixth-biggest xG underperformers in the top flight this season.

Prediction: Brighton 0–2 Arsenal

Brighton Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal

Brighton & Hove Albion — A former Gunner can derail Arsenal’s title charge. | FotMob

Brighton’s injury list has been trimmed in recent weeks, and the Seagulls are set to receive another boost in time for Arsenal’s visit. Yasin Ayari is ready to return to the matchday squad after spending more than a month out with a shoulder issue.

Ayari may not return to Hürzeler’s starting lineup right away, but the midfielder should be an option off the bench.

With Ayari coming back, Brighton’s only absentees for Wednesday’s clash are Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas. The latter will miss the rest of the season because of a significant knee injury.

Danny Welbeck has scored in back-to-back games to reach double-digits for the second consecutive Premier League season. He’ll be aiming to celebrate his one-year contract extension by haunting his former club.

Brighton predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Verburggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper; Baleba, Hinshelwood; Minteh, Gómez, Mitoma; Welbeck.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton

Arteta hinted at rotation in the wake of Sunday’s win, and he’ll have the opportunity to use the extremities of his squad when Arsenal visit Mansfield Town in the FA Cup at the weekend.

However, the Spaniard may also be tempted into changes on Wednesday night. Declan Rice is a doubt after he picked up a second-half knock against Chelsea, and Arteta has said he’ll be assessed ahead of the trip down south. Christian Nørgaard is ready to step in with Mikel Merino still out.

Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres were both quiet at the weekend, and Arteta has Kai Havertz available again. The German could replace Gyökeres up top, while moving Bukayo Saka in a central position is an alternative to Martin Ødegaard, who may not be back in time for Wedneday’s game.

Ben White is another injury doubt, while Max Dowman is on his way back.