Brighton vs Arsenal – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

The Gunners have won four of their last six matches vs Seagulls.

Brighton Form

The Seagulls were on a run of just two wins in 15 matches before winning their last two matches. A 1-1 draw at Man City was followed by going to Man Utd and winning 2-1 in the third round of the FA Cup. A six-match winless run followed. A late 1-0 loss at Aston Villa made three losses in five league matches.

A 3-0 loss at Liverpool in the FA Cup came despite having 18 shots at Anfield. They stopped the rot by winning 2-0 at Brentford. Last weekend saw a 2-1 home victory over Nottingham Forest. Those wins shot the team up to 12^th place in the table.

Brighton Team News

Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas are long-term injury victims. Yasin Ayari is back in training after a shoulder injury and could play some part.

Mats Wieffer is a doubt after going off injured against Forest. Solly March is available again after 18 months of injury woes. Coach Fabian Hurzeler could again leave Carlos Baleba on the bench after a dip in form.

Brighton Motivation

The Seagulls are regaining some confidence. Their poor run was largely down to conceding several late goals.

Hurzeler will look to attack Arsenal at times. They won’t change from their buildup, possession-focused style of play.

Arsenal Form

Arsenal sit five points clear in the EPL table having played a match more than Man City. The Gunners have stuttered of late, though with dropped points in five of their last nine league matches. They beat Sunderland 3-0 at the Emirates before a poor 1-1 draw away at Brentford with just two shots on target.

A 4-0 home win in the FA Cup vs Wigan was followed by a gutting 2-2 draw at Wolves having led 2-0. They bounced back to cruise past Tottenham 4-1 with a 20-6 shot count. The Gunners beat Chelsea 2-1 at home on Sunday but they rode their luck at times.

Arsenal Team News

Mikel Merino is out injured in the engine room. Max Dowman and Kai Havertz are available but are unlikely to play significant minutes.

Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice need late fitness tests. The latter should be fit to start after looking fatigued against Chelsea. Ben White is ruled out in defence.  

Arsenal Motivation

The Gunners will go all out to win this match. Style of play and performance is irrelevant to them right now.

Arsenal will try to get a lead in the first half. They could sit back and protect their advantage after half time.  

Key Stats

• Brighton have won just 4 of their last 17 matches
• Brighton have kept just 1 clean sheet in their last 10 matches
• Arsenal have won just 4 of their last 9 league matches (4 draws, 1 loss)
• Arsenal have won 4 of their last 6 matches vs Brighton
• Arsenal’s Gyokeres has scored 5 goals in his last 6 EPL matches   

Verdict

Arsenal should relish the extra space that Brighton will afford to them. I see a Gunners win.

Featured Bet: Arsenal win, Over 2.5 goals and Gyokeres to score anytime at 4.20

Alternate Bet: Arsenal to win by exactly one goal at 3.40