Arsenal head to the American Express Stadium aiming to preserve their unblemished start to the season, but a rejuvenated Brighton side full of confidence and goals stand in their way on Saturday afternoon.
Match Preview
Arsenal arrive on the south coast in imperious form, having won every single one of their seven matches in all competitions so far this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side made it four wins from four in the Premier League with victory over Sunderland last time out, and followed that up in midweek with a comfortable 4-2 win at Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup, a heavily rotated performance that still yielded a Max Dowman brace along with goals from Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino.
The Gunners have conceded just a single goal in the Premier League so far this season, the meanest defensive record in the division by some distance.
Brighton, though, arrive full of their own momentum. Fabian Hürzeler’s side opened the season with a resounding 4-0 win over Aston Villa before a testing spell brought a 4-3 defeat at Chelsea and a 1-1 draw with Leeds United, results that exposed some defensive vulnerability against stronger opposition.
The Seagulls have since found their scoring touch again in emphatic fashion, thrashing bottom-of-the-table Coventry City 5-0 last weekend before producing a stunning fightback in the Carabao Cup, coming from 2-0 down inside 10 minutes to beat Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford in midweek.
Brighton have now scored 17 goals in their last five matches in all competitions and sit fifth in the table, well placed in their pursuit of a return to European football.
Team News
Brighton have a lengthy and problematic absentee list heading into the weekend.
Evan Ferguson, Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma, Stefanos Tzimas, Zadok Yohanna and Mats Wieffer are all ruled out through injury, while full-back Jaouen Hadjam is a doubt after being forced off during the win at Manchester United. Femi Azeez and Michael Svoboda are also considered unlikely to feature.
Despite the extensive list, Hürzeler’s side have found a way to keep scoring freely, with Pascal Groß continuing to pull the strings in midfield after creating more chances than any other Brighton player in the win over Coventry, and teenage striker Charalampos Kostoulas has emerged as a real focal point up front.
Arsenal’s main concern remains at the back, with William Saliba continuing to be sidelined by the back injury he sustained on international duty and facing a lengthy spell out.
Bukayo Saka has been in outstanding form, scoring three goals in his four Premier League appearances so far this season, including the winner in this exact fixture last season, and he will once again spearhead Arsenal’s attacking threat from the right.
With so many changes made at Ipswich in midweek, Arteta is expected to recall the bulk of his strongest available XI for the trip south.
Brighton vs Arsenal Predicted XI
Brighton Predicted XI:
Verbruggen; Kadıoğlu, Vujačić, Dunk, Boscagli; Groß, Ayari; Gómez, Yalcouyé, De Cuyper; Kostoulas
Arsenal Predicted XI:
Raya; White, Gabriel, Konsa, Hincapié; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Ødegaard, Trossard; Havertz
