Premier League 2022-23: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head

Seagulls will be looking to crash the happy celebrations for the North London club.

The Seagulls are flying high and are currently placed at 7th in the English Premier League as they will be hosting the league leaders Arsenal who are looking to finish the calendar year with a victory and further cement their hold on the Premier League trophy.

Brighton went into the World Cup break with a loss against Aston Villa but can celebrate three wins out of four following a 3-1 comeback win against Southampton at St. Mary’s on Boxing Day.

The Gunners have been irresistible in this edition of the Premier League and the league leaders are now 5 points away from the holders, Manchester City who have some catching up to do. Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah turned up in what was a comfortable 3-1 victory over their London rivals West Ham at The Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day.

Kick-off: Saturday 31st December 23:00 pm (IST), 17:30 pm (GMT)

Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competition): W-W-L-D-L

Arsenal form (all competition): L-W-W-W-L

Player to watch

Brighton & Hove Albion

Leandro Trossard

Leandro Trossard has been in blistering form this season for the team from South Coast as he scored 7 goals in 15 matches so far in the Premier League 2022/2023 season. 2 of the 7 goals were scored at Amex stadium while he scored 5 goals at away games. Overall, he has been an important factor for De Zerbi’s side after the departure of Graham Potter from the helm. Moreover, Trossard's total goal contribution (goals + assists) is 9.

Arsenal

Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka has had yet another impressive season for the Gunners and his form is getting better with each passing day. He has scored 5 times for Arsenal down the right wing and also has 6 assists in his name. Saka is a real creative force, capable of getting into dangerous positions and playing killer final balls. He is a major part of Arteta’s regime and is certainly the player to look out for in this fixture.

Match Facts

• Arsenal was shocked by the Seagulls at the Emirates Stadium just before the World Cup began when they were knocked out of the EFL Cup in the Third Round as Brighton registered a 3-1 victory.
• On average in direct matches, both teams scored 2.69 goals per Match. Get ready for a high-scoring encounter!
• Arsenal has scored 29 times against Brighton in all competitions whereas the team from the South Coast have scored 19 times against The Gunners.

Injury and Team News

A first Premier League start of the season should be inevitable for Billy Gilmour in place of the suspended Moises Caicedo, although Jeremy Sarmiento has raised some eyebrows in EFL Cup action against the Gunners and will pine for another chance to strut his stuff against the North Londoners. Alexis MacAllister is still unavailable after his World Cup triumph with Argentina.

As for Arsenal, Gabriel Jesus (knee) and Reiss Nelson (thigh) remain in the infirmary with no timeline for their returns, but there could be a long-awaited comeback for Emile Smith Rowe following his groin surgery in September.

The injury-plagued Takehiro Tomiyasu who is returning from World Cup duty for Japan will also fight to recover from his latest hamstring strain in time, but there could be a change in the full-back areas, with Oleksandr Zinchenko fit again and ready to challenge Kieran Tierney for the left-back spot.

Head-to-Head Stats

Matches: 26

Brighton & Hove Albion: 7

Draws: 5

Arsenal: 14

Predicted Lineup

Predicted XI for Brighton & Hove Albion (4-2-3-1)

Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Colwill, Estupinan; Gilmour, Gross; March, Lallana, Mitoma; Trossard

Predicted XI for Arsenal (4-2-3-1)

Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah

Prediction

This will be a close encounter between two Premier League sides who are well-balanced and under good guidance. Despite the fact that Brighton & Hove Albion are resilient, it will be a tough task for them to outrun the North Londoners who are bossing every department of the game. Arsenal appears to be a committed side who are eyeing the elusive trophy and should win by a close margin.

Prediction:  Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Arsenal