A spectacular football game awaits when Brighton visits high-flying Arsenal for a clash of two of the most heralded young managers in the Premier League.
Neutral fans are set for a delight when a pair of the most exciting English top-flight teams take to the field for what is shaping up to be a winter classic.
Brighton are undefeated in four of their last five meetings with the Gunners in all competitions, winning three and drawing one. Meanwhile, Roberto De Zerbi’s men effectively ended Arsenal’s title hopes with a 3-0 thrashing the last time they visited the Emirates Stadium, strengthening their grip on an eventual Europa League spot at the end of last season.
Arsenal will have lots to prove against the Seagulls, considering their evolution into genuine title contenders since the start of the 2022/23 season. Indeed, the current campaign has kicked off according to plan, with an unbeaten run during the first ten matches.
The excellent omen of Silverware was secured against Manchester City in the Community Shield to fill the Arsenal faithful with belief ahead of one of their most crucial seasons in decades. Then, Nottingham Forest were overcome 2-1 in the opening Premier League game.
Next were London derbies against Crystal Palace and Fulham, where Mikel Arteta’s men secured a win and a draw, respectively. Queue their first statement victory of the campaign as they beat Manchester United 3-1 after a pulsating end to the game.
A stern test awaited at Goodison Park, but Leandro Trossard’s goal saw them past Everton with all three points and a clean sheet. Tottenham Hotspur came to the Emirates Stadium for the first North London Derby but could only leave with a 2-2 draw that ensured both teams stayed unbeaten.
Arsenal faced Bournemouth in a comfortable runout that ended 4-nil, but the biggest test of their season was passed in flying colors against Manchester City thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s late goal.
They showed winning grit in returning from a 2-0 deficit to take a point at Stamford Bridge, while Arsenal walloped Sheffield United 5-0 after that, with Eddie Nketiah’s first Premier League hat-trick grabbing the headlines.
Nonetheless, the Gunners have suffered consecutive away defeats in all competitions since then, but they can turn around the results.
The game against Brighton comes amidst a critical run of fixtures involving Aston Villa, PSV, and Liverpool, and the North Londoners will be looking forward to the challenge.
Brighton has made a bright start to the campaign in their first-ever foray into European football.
Roberto De Zerbi oversaw a stunning transformation after replacing Graham Potter as he made the South Coast side one of the best teams to watch in the country.
Things went according to plan in their first two games this season as emphatic 4-1 scorelines beat Luton Town and Wolves. Although West Ham humbled the AMEX Stadium crowd with a 3-1 defeat, Brighton kept up their impressive goalscoring feats with successive 3-1 victories over Newcastle and Manchester United.
However, results have been slightly lukewarm since then, as the Seagulls have won only twice from the following ten matches in all competitions, drawing another four.
During that run, the South Coast side failed to defeat Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Liverpool. At the same time, they have yet to win in the Premier League since 24 September against Bournemouth. Arsenal will represent a vast scalp should they get a result, and Brighton can call on previous experience of beating the Gunners at home.
De Zerbi’s men sit in seventh place on the log after the first 11 games, and they need to stay within the European spots going into the hectic winter schedule of fixtures.
Par for the course, they can depend on an effective attacking unit to fire them to results, but Arsenal will be sure to exploit weaknesses in their overall balance.
Match tickets
The Emirates Stadium is the venue for this game, which takes place on Saturday, 17 December 2023, with kick-off set for 3 PM UK time. Match tickets will be sold on each club’s website but will be sold out, considering this is a must-see game.
Arsenal are operating at the top end of the league standings, and their fans are making each home game a festival atmosphere this season. On the other hand, Brighton is also enjoying unprecedented success in the top division, and plenty of fans will be making the trip from the south coast.
Home supporters who are not season-ticket holders can get their hands on Arsenal vs Brighton tickets via resale sites.
Team news
Arsenal have Gabriel Jesus (muscle), Thomas Partey (power), and Jurrien Timber (knee) on the sidelines, with Emile Smith Rowe also joining them in the treatment room for several weeks.
Brighton’s Solly March (knee), Danny Welbeck (muscle), and Julio Enciso (knee) remain out with injuries. Still, Pervis Estupinan (power) and Tariq Lamptey (muscle) are close to returning and should be fine for the Arsenal game.
Line-ups
The Gunners should have their strongest side for this game, which promises to be a thriller.
Kai Havertz has been in and out of the starting lineup as Fabio Vieira and Jorginho offer alternative qualities to the German in midfield.
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
Brighton will be delighted to welcome back Pervis Estupinan to the left side of defense following his spell out injured. The Ecuadorian’s buccaneering runs from the back were too much for the Gunners to handle when they last met at the Emirates.
Simon Adingra is another who will look to start after stepping up in Solly March’s absence.
Brighton: Verbruggen; Veltman, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Gilmour, Groß; Adingra, Pedro, Mitoma; Ferguson
Prediction
Brighton is the only team to have won up to half of their Premier League games at Arsenal, with three wins from six, and no opponent has been able to keep a clean sheet against the Seagulls this term. They are a dangerous proposition for Arsenal, who must be cautious of making errors in passing out from the back.
Goals will flow with this set to be a high-octane encounter, but a clear winner is unlikely to emerge.
Arsenal 2-2 Brighton
