Premier League
Brighton vs Arsenal Preview
Amex Stadium, Brighton & Hove – Brighton & Hove Albion host Arsenal on Boxing Day as they look to end a three-match losing streak in the Premier League.
The Gunners sit outside the top four only on goal difference, so they can put Chelsea under pressure with a win at the Amex Stadium before the Blues take on Watford in the late kick-off.
The Gunners beat Burnley 3-1 on Saturday to go level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea following the Blues’ shock 1-0 home defeat to Leicester City.
Brighton are looking to avoid a fourth straight defeat after being on the wrong end of results against Burnley, Chelsea and Bournemouth. They’ve never lost four successive league games in four years under the stewardship of Chris Hughton.
Previous Encounters:
- Brighton have lost five of their last six games against Arsenal in all competitions, however did win the most recent meeting between the two, which was a 2-1 victory back in March.
- Brighton have won each of their last three home games against Arsenal in the top-flight.
Team News:
Shane Duffy will replace Lewis Dunk in central defence. Duffy is available after a three-match ban and steps in for his usual defensive partner Dunk, who is now suspended following his red card against Bournemouth.
Wingers Alireza Jahanbakhsh (hamstring) and Jose Izquierdo (knee) are still out injured.
Arsenal’s defensive injury crisis is set to continue on Boxing Day with Unai Emery likely to be without as many as five players for the trip to Brighton.
Rob Holding (knee), Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin), Nacho Monreal (muscular) and Hector Bellerin (calf) are definitely out.
Emery will be hoping that Shkodran Mustafi is match-fit for the trip to the South Coast. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (ankle) will also be assessed, with striker Danny Welbeck (ankle) being a long-term absentee.
Predicted Lineups:
Brighton (4-2-3-1): Ryan; Bruno, Balogun, Duffy, Bernardo; Propper, Stephens; Knockaert, Gross, March; Murray.
Arsenal (4-2-3-2): Leno; Lichtsteiner, Koscielny, Sokratis, Kolasinac; Torreira, Xhaka; Iwobi, Ozil, Aubameyang; Lacazette.
Match Prediction:
Brighton are no pushovers at home and they will test this Arsenal team. Brighton have not failed to score in their last 11 home matches in the league and that should lead to an entertaining game here with both teams scoring.
Prediction: Brighton 2-3 Arsenal
Photo credit to Philip Westlake via Flickr
