Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Arsenal to the Amex Stadium in a huge midweek Premier League clash just outside the relegation zone.
Brighton can stay 16th with a win and move to within a point of Arsenal, who can climb to 12th with a win if Leeds were to lose at West Brom in another early kick-off.
Team News
Adam Lallana is unlikely to feature for Brighton after suffering a groin injury during Sunday’s 2-2 draw at West Ham.
Aaron Connolly (groin), Tariq Lamptey (hamstring), Jose Izquierdo (thigh) and Florian Andone (knee) are ruled out.
Arsenal will be without Gabriel as he self-isolates following contact with someone who tested positive for Coronavirus.
Thomas Partey (thigh) is still absent but David Luiz and Willian could return after missing the Boxing Day win over Chelsea through illness, although the pair must post negative tests before can safely re-join the team.
Stat Attack
- Brighton are unbeaten in their last five matches against Arsenal (W3, D2).
- Arsenal are yet to win at Brighton in the Premier League (D1, L2).
- Neal Maupay scored late winners for Brighton in both meetings last season, as the Seagulls twice won by 2-1 results.
- Graham Potter’s Seagulls have scored just one headed league goal this season.
- Arsenal have conceded twice in each of their last three away trips in all competitions (W1, L2).
Prediction
I certainly wasn’t expecting Arsenal to turn out the performance that they did on Saturday but Chelsea were that poor, we could easily be sat here pondering why the Gunners failed to take advantage if didn’t win, yet they managed to with a dominant high expansive attacking tempo display which the Blues just couldn’t cope with.
Brighton meanwhile played solid football at West Ham to twice take the lead through clinical goals but the match overall was quite cagey with robust defending except for both of the Hammers’ equalisers, which provides them with key lessons defensively coming into this game given that a home win could easily drag Arsenal back into the relegation fight.
This should therefore be a good contest because I expect Brighton to do much of the defending and let Arsenal do the attacking given the Gunners’ poor Premier League form at the Amex, which makes a draw a good bet but if the Gunners turn out another energetic performance then that first away win over the Seagulls will come.
Prediction: Brighton 1-2 Arsenal
Result: Brighton 0-1 Arsenal
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