Brighton’s quest to claim their first win since November continues with the visit of Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.
The Seagulls ended 2024 with another draw, the club’s third in a row, after Tariq Lamptey’s 81st-minute equalizer secured a share of the spoils against Aston Villa on Monday. Fabian Hurzeler has remained optimistic throughout the seven-game wait for victory, telling fans to “always trust the process” this week.
Arsenal’s first seasons under Mikel Arteta were defined by that exact phrase, for which Mesut Ozil was ironically responsible before that process led to his own exile. Five years into Arteta’s tenure, the Gunners have been rewarded for their patience and find themselves embroiled in the title race for the third consecutive season.
A 12-game unbeaten streak has kept Arsenal within striking distance of runaway league leaders Liverpool, who are not in action until Sunday. This delay gives the North London team the opportunity to reduce, however briefly, the gap that separates them from first place to just three points.
Brighton vs Arsenal H2H results (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Brighton |
Arsenal |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 2-2 Brighton – 12/30/24 |
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal – 1/1/25 |
|
Brighton 0-0 Brentford – 12/27/24 |
Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich – 12/27/24 |
|
West Ham 1-1 Brighton – 12/21/24 |
Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal – 12/21/24 |
|
Brighton 1-3 Crystal Palace – 12/15/24 |
Arsenal 3-2 Palacio de Cristal – 12/18/24 |
|
Leicester 2-2 Brighton – 12/08/24 |
Arsenal 0-0 Everton – 12/14/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, NOW TV, SKY GO Plus, SKY GO |
|
USA |
fuboTV, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, NBC, Telemundo |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports activities Community Canada |
Brighton almost have a full starting lineup of injured players. Saturday’s game is “too soon” for new Inter Miami signing Diego Gomez, who will be watching from the sidelines alongside full-back Ferdi Kadioglu and veteran midfielder James Milner.
Jack Hinshelwood is “close” to returning from his knee injury according to Hurzeler and centre-back Adam Webster is available again. However, doubts hang over Pervis Estupiñán who is recovering from an illness.
Former Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck will be assessed on a “day-to-day basis” while fellow striker Evan Ferguson (ankle) and midfielder Mats Wieffer (quadriceps) are unlikely to be present.
Brighton vs Arsenal predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Consume; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Igor; Baleba, O’Riley; Minteh, Rutter, Adingra; peter
Arsenal were beset by a team-wide “mistake” ahead of their New Year trip to Brentford. Kai Havertz missed the 3-1 victory and was sent to quarantine to avoid further contamination. Arteta revealed on Friday: “I think those who are sick will be fine.”
Whether that means Havertz will return directly to the initial as soon as is another question entirely. Given Gabriel Jesus’ good form, there appears to be no need to put pressure on the German.
Arsenal will not welcome back either of their injured full-backs, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Fellow defender Jurrien Timber will also miss the trip to the south coast after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season on Wednesday.
Raheem Sterling is inching closer to full fitness, but Bukayo Saka is still at the beginning of his long-term recovery. It remains to be seen whether Arteta will be able to resist the temptation of starting 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri for the second time in four days.
Arsenal vs Brighton predicted lineup (4-3-3): Stripe; Partey, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Martinelli, Jesus, Trossard.
Brighton have not beaten Arsenal at the AMEX Stadium since lockdown, in a match that fans of the butterfly effect claim won Argentina the World Cup, with a barely seen Emiliano Martínez taking center stage.
The Seagulls have not picked up three points in front of their own fans against anyone since their victory over Manchester Metropolis before the November international break. While Hurzeler insists performances have not been as poor as his points in recent weeks, the initial enthusiasm from the first few months of the season has definitely backfired.
Arsenal, especially now that it continues to face its existence without Bukayo Saka, is by no means the favorite to triumph this Saturday. However, the Gunners are in a strong position to extend Brighton’s wait for a win.
