Brighton's search for their first win since November continues with a visit to 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 Horzler remained upbeat throughout the seven-game wait for victory and told fans to “always trust the process” this week.
Arsenal's first two seasons under him Mikel Arteta It was defined by exactly that phrase – which Mesut Ozil was responsible for, ironically, before the operation led to his exile. Five years into Arteta's tenure, the Gunners have been rewarded for their patience and find themselves embroiled in the title race for a third successive season.
A 12-game unbeaten run has kept Arsenal within striking distance of league leaders Liverpool, who do not play until Sunday. This delay gives the north London side the opportunity – but only briefly – to close down The gap to first place Only three points.
Results of the direct confrontation between Brighton and Arsenal (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Brighton |
Arsenal |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 2-2 Brighton – 30/12/24 |
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal – 1/1/25 |
|
Brighton 0-0 Brentford – 12/27/24 |
Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich – 27/12/24 |
|
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 Crystal Palace – 12/18/24 |
|
Leicester 2-2 Brighton – 12/08/24 |
Arsenal 0-0 Everton – 12/14/24 |
|
nation |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|---|---|
|
UK |
Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, NOW TV, SKY GO Extra and SKY GO |
|
US |
fuboTV, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, NBC, Telemundo |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada |
Brighton Almost as many as 11 starters are injured. Saturday's game is “too early” for the club's new signing from Inter Miami, Diego Gomez, who will watch from the sidelines with full-back Ferdi Kadioglu and veteran midfielder James Milner.
Jack Henshilwood is “close” to returning from a knee injury according to Horzler, and centre-back Adam Webster is also available again. However, doubts loom over Pervis Estupinan who is recovering from the disease.
former Arsenal Striker Danny Welbeck will be assessed “day to day” while fellow striker Evan Ferguson (ankle) and midfielder Mats Wever (thigh) are unlikely to feature.
Brighton's expected lineup against Arsenal (4-2-3-1): consume; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Igor; Paliba, O'Reilly; Mente, Rooter, Adingra; Peter Peter.
Arsenal were attacked by A “Error” at the band level Ahead of the New Year's Day trip to Brentford. Kai Havertz missed the 3-1 win and was sent into quarantine to avoid further contamination. “I think people who have the disease will be fine,” Arteta revealed on Friday.
Whether this means Havertz will go straight back into the starting lineup is another matter entirely. Given Gabriel Jesus' strong form, there seems little need to rush the German.
Arsenal will not welcome back any of their injured full-backs, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Fellow defender Jorrian Temper will also miss the trip to the south coast after receiving his fifth yellow card this season Wednesday.
Raheem Sterling is close 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 urge to field 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri for the second time in four days.
Arsenal's expected lineup against Brighton (4-3-3):raya; 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 Butterfly Effect fans claimed won Argentina the World Cup, with a barely spotted Emiliano Martinez taking center stage.
The Seagulls have not taken three points in front of their home crowd against anyone since their match Victory over Manchester City Before the international break in November. While Horzler insists the performance has not been as bad as his points tally in recent weeks, the early brilliance in the first few months of the season has certainly taken a backseat.
Arsenal – especially as they continue to dominate themselves Bukayo Saka– Having less – They are by no means favorites to win on Saturday. However, the Gunners are in a strong position to extend Brighton's wait for a win.
