Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more
Brighton & Hove Albion will host Arsenal in the English Premier League 18th-tour match at the Falmer Stadium. The fixture will take place on Saturday, December 31, beginning at 23:00 IST.
Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
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Brighton News & Current Form:
The team had a successful return to the Premier League after a big break for the FIFA World Cup. They won 3:1 against South Coast rivals Southampton on Boxing day. Coach Roberto De Zerbi praised his team for a fantastic game, which shows growing confidence in himself and his charges.
If not for the strange 1:2 defeat to Aston Villa just before the Mundial break, Brighton could have even gone into the winter break with a four-game unbeaten streak. At the end of October, the pressure of the Seagulls destroyed the team of their ex-coach Graham Potter – Chelsea (4:1). After that De Zerbi’s side deservedly got a tough away win over Wolverhampton, scoring three points in the final minutes (2:3).
Albion was eliminated from the EFL Cup in the 1/8 finals after the game with Charlton. Apparently, Brighton needed this tournament as much as Arsenal did, not the main squad came to visit the Ligue 1 member.
The Seagulls are surely a special club for Mikel Arteta this season. Brighton is one of only three teams to beat the Londoners. It happened in the League Cup match, where Roberto de Zerbi’s charges defeated the Gunners 3:1. Although, Arteta put on the game frankly a second-tier squad.
Brighton is capable of surprising. This EPL season, first under Graham Potter and then under de Zerbi, the Seagulls beat Manchester United (2:1), defeated Leicester (5:2) and Chelsea (4:1) and also drew with Liverpool (3:3).
After the first 6 rounds, Albion was in 4th place, showing their peak soccer under Potter. Never before has Graham’s Brighton looked so well-played, the team readjusted with frightening ease in the course of the encounters. Due to the quality systemic work in Brighton, the promising English specialist was promoted, Todd Boehly (owner of Chelsea) took the wizard from the south coast to London, and the team managers had to replace the coach with the ex-coach of FC Shakhtar and Sassuolo.
Alexis MacAllister is still celebrating his Mundial victory in Argentina, with midfielder Jakub Moder and midfielder Danny Welbeck injured. In addition, Moisés Caicedo is suspended.
Arsenal News & Current Form:
The festive period was kind to Arsenal, who topped the table for the first time in 15 years on Christmas Day. During the World Cup, fears of a fight for the English title for the Gunners were magnified by the injury to Gabriel Jesus, who is out for several months.
Despite this, Arsenal is surprising everybody this season, unexpectedly leaving behind traditional leaders like Manchester City and Liverpool. The Reds caught a crisis – now they are trying to rectify the situation by signing Cody Gakpo. The Citizens, on the other hand, are as stable as ever and are almost at a championship pace, but the team of Mikel Arteta is performing so well that even 20 goals scored by Erling Haaland does not help Pep Guardiola to rise to the top.
And Arsenal returned from the Mundial as if there had been no break. Arteta’s men also had a successful Boxing Day. The Gunners handled a tough West Ham side (3:1) with confidence, ultimately impressing the fans and Arsene Wenger, who watched the game from the stands.
Many doubted that the team would be able to maintain a brisk pace without the injured Gabriel Jesus, but Arsenal is hiding the absence of their main forward with team movement, and of course with the help of Eddie Nketiah. Whether this will work further is the question, but viewers and analysts have been asking this question for half a season, each time publicity is in doubt, nevertheless, the team continues to surprise us.
Oleksandr Zinchenko played about 20 minutes on the pitch against West Ham, coming off the bench. The Ukrainian missed a month before the World Cup due to injury. We would like to see Zinchenko on the pitch more often, so that he can prove he is worthy of playing for a team of his level.
What is Arsenal’s secret? The answer is a perfect balance between defense and attack. In 15 games in the EPL, the Londoners have conceded just 12 goals, only Newcastle (11) has fewer. Of those 12, one quarter of the game was against Manchester United (1:3), in which Arsenal suffered their first and so far the only defeat in the league. The Londoners have drawn seven games. Arsenal is second in the Premier League by goals (36) behind City (43).
January will be the most important test for Arsenal. After Brighton, the Londoners will play with Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United. It is likely to be the first month of 2023 that will determine the Red and White’s ambitions for the current EPL season. The Londoners should not lose points, because Manchester City are only 5 points behind, so in the upcoming match they should win only.
In Arsenal, as you know, Gabi Jesus is out for a long time. Also, Arteta is not counting on Reiss Nelson, he is recovering from a thigh injury, there is a high probability that Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss this match.
Being asked about coach, Gabby Jesus said:
“We’ve got a very good relationship. We’re always chatting. He’s a manager who is very close with his players and he’s very influential.”
“He’s helped me a lot since I arrived here. He’s a great person and really looks after every person in the team – it’s like a family. He makes us happy and that gives us a real desire to win.”
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Brighton form guide: W-W-L-D-L-W
Arsenal form guide: L-W-W-W-L-W
Brighton vs Arsenal Head-To-Head Record:
| Brighton | Draw | Arsenal |
| 7 | 5 | 14 |
- January 20, 2020: Brighton 2-1 Arsenal (Premier League);
- December 29, 2020: Brighton 0-1 Arsenal (Premier League);
- May 23, 2021: Brighton 0-2 Arsenal (Premier League);
- October 2, 2021: Brighton 0-0 Arsenal (Premier League);
- April 9, 2022: Brighton 2-1 Arsenal (Premier League);
- November 9, 2022: Brighton 3-1 Arsenal (League Cup).
Brighton vs Arsenal Predicted XI:
Brighton’s possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Colwill, Estupinan; Gilmour, Gross; March, Lallana, Mitoma; Trossard.
Arsenal’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah.
Statistical preview of the match Brighton vs Arsenal:
- Brighton’s First XI average age is 27.5 yrs.
- Arsenal’s First XI average age is 24.8 yrs.
- The total value of Arsenal’s squad – $759 mln.
- The total value of Brighton’s squad – $325 mln.
- Arsenal tops the standings while Brighton sits in 7th place.
- Brighton’s stadium management use hawks to chase away pigeons and seagulls from the arena. The big birds keep the pigeons away, preventing them from nesting in the stadium and helping to keep it clean.
- The Seagulls have not lost to the Gunners in three consecutive games.
- Arsenal has scored less than 1.5 goals in 5 of the last 6 away games.
- Arsenal has not lost in 15 of the last 16 Premier League games.
- Arsenal has won 8 of their last 9 games in the EPL.
- Arsenal has not conceded in 4 of the last 5 Premier League away games
- Brighton & Hove Albion has scored and conceded in 6 of the last 7 games.
What has been said before the match:
Gabriel Jesus said:
“All the players are working hard together and the most important thing is that everybody wants to play and everybody wants to win. The group is very united together and we are on this journey [together]. There’s still a lot of work to do but we hope that we can stay focused and get the job [done].”
Coach Arteta said:
“What they [Brighton] have done in the past two or three years, I think it’s remarkable,” he said. “From a club perspective, they have a really clear vision, strategy and way of playing. The way they recruit, but the way they play most importantly, I think has been really consistent.
“I know Roberto well, I’ve followed him, I think he’s an extraordinary coach with very clear ideas that I really enjoy watching and tomorrow they will put a big test on us.”
“We don’t know what they are going to do with team selection, that’s for sure. And they don’t know what we’re going to do either, so I think we will both be in the same place. Every coach has their own way of playing and they are very consistent in a lot of things that they do, and we will prepare for the game expecting more of the same that they have been doing.”
Coach De Zerbi said:
“It will be a test for many players but when we wear the Brighton shirt, we must play seriously and we must try to win. For me, Arsenal is a very important game. I can make some changes in the first XI, but we prepare for the cup as if it is a Premier League game.”
“Arsenal is a very good team and Mikel is a very good coach. I like his style of play for sure. With Jesus and Zinchenko they have the best mentality because those players know how to win, they have won the Premier League. They help their teammates to find the right mentality.”
Brighton vs Arsenal Prediction:
Roberto De Zerbi is not yet doing anything outstanding or commendable, but that certainly doesn’t make Brighton any kind of shabby, feeble team. Plus, the Seagulls are playing at home. Arsenal will face another tough encounter on the way to the dream, which becomes more and more tangible with each victory.
In this game, it is expected that there will be an abundance of mutual aggression and a counter-attacking game. The teams opt for smart offensive football and threaten the opponents’ goal even when defending. The teams know how to press and the defenders always look for chances to get the ball into the attacker’s feet in the final third of the pitch. It is likely to be due to the attacking class and unsure defensive play that both clubs will have chances and scoring opportunities, and that will sooner or later culminate in an exchange of goals.
Still, the Gunners will come out victorious in a tense contest, while the desire to take revenge for the recent frustrating defeat in the League Cup will provide additional motivation.
Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: Arsenal to win and both teams to score – Yes.
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