We stay up for Saturday’s Premier League recreation on the Emirates Stadium with our Arsenal vs Brighton prediction and preview. Will Mikel Arteta’s facet make it three wins from three?
Arsenal vs Brighton Stats: The Key Insights
- Arsenal are the sturdy favourites in opposition to Brighton, profitable 66.5% of the Opta supercomputer’s pre-match simulations.
- Brighton didn’t win any of their seven league away video games in opposition to London sides final season, drawing three and shedding 4.
- Bukayo Saka may grow to be the primary Arsenal participant since Thierry Henry in 2004-05 to help a objective within the first three video games of a Premier League season.
Arsenal welcome fellow high-flyers Brighton to the Emirates Stadium for Saturday’s early kick-off because the pair purpose to proceed their excellent begins to the Premier League season.
Mikel Arteta’s facet overcame Wolves on the opening day earlier than securing a formidable 2-0 victory at Aston Villa final Saturday because of objectives from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey.
Victory right here would mark the second time Arsenal have received their opening three Premier League video games below Arteta (additionally 2022-23). That might even be as many occasions as they did so previous to his arrival as supervisor, managing to take action in 2003-04 and 2004-05 below Arsène Wenger.
Their sturdy begin to this marketing campaign comes as no shock, although, having fallen agonisingly quick of their title tussle with Manchester Metropolis final season. Together with 2023-24, Arsenal have received every of their final eight league video games since a 2-0 dwelling defeat to Aston Villa in April.
Arteta will know his workforce should be near-perfect once more to overthrow and even preserve tempo with Pep Guardiola’s four-in-a-row champions. A ninth-straight victory in opposition to an thrilling Brighton would lay down one other early marker, following on from final week’s triumph at Villa Park.
Nevertheless, Arsenal haven’t received 9 in a row within the Premier League since a run between January and March 2004, en path to their unbeaten ‘Invincibles’ marketing campaign below Wenger that introduced top-flight glory.
Not since that marketing campaign have Arsenal lifted the title, but it’s clear Arteta’s males are getting nearer of their makes an attempt to topple Guardiola’s Metropolis because of the presence of quite a few world-class abilities delivering regularly.
Chief amongst them is Bukayo Saka, who’s been concerned in 17 objectives in his final 19 Premier League appearances (12 objectives, 5 assists), together with a objective and two assists within the first two video games in 2024-25. The England winger might be aiming to grow to be the primary Arsenal participant since Thierry Henry in 2004-05 to document an help within the opening three top-flight matches.
Saka arrange Kai Havertz’s headed end and scored a trademark objective when chopping inside from the suitable flank within the opening-day victory over Wolves, and he’ll be hoping to repeat the dose on Saturday.
Havertz, lately main the road for the Gunners, has additionally been concerned in 9 objectives in his final eight appearances on the Emirates within the competitors (6 objectives, 3 assists). Maybe a constructive omen, too, is that his first dwelling league objective for his facet got here in opposition to Brighton in December final yr.
But Brighton themselves have loved a promising begin to the season below younger head coach Fabian Hürzeler, whose squad has been additional boosted by the acquisitions of Ferdi Kadioglu, and Matt O’Riley this week. The latter was, nonetheless, injured after a hefty deal with on his left ankle throughout Tuesday’s 4-0 EFL Cup victory over League One’s Crawley City.
Having dispatched Everton of their league opener, Brighton snatched a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Manchester United final trip. João Pedro headed dwelling from Simon Adingra’s cross within the ninety fifth minute after Amad Diallo had earlier cancelled out Danny Welbeck’s opener on the Amex Stadium.
Veteran Welbeck has scored in 15 straight Premier League campaigns, citing his one centesimal league objective in that United win, and is now trying to rating in three consecutive top-flight appearances for the primary time since January 2014.
The final participant to attain in every of Brighton’s first three league video games in a single marketing campaign was Nicky Forster in 2008-09, however don’t rule out one other uncommon achievement for the evergreen Welbeck, or new boss Hürzeler.
The 31-year-old German is aiming to grow to be the primary Brighton supervisor to win his opening three league video games in cost. Solely Alan Mullery (August 1976), Jeff Wooden (January 1999) and Micky Adams (April 1999) beforehand received their first two such matches for the Seagulls, however none of them managed a trio of victories to begin.
Victorious begins to the brand new time period aren’t any shock to Brighton lately, nonetheless. They’ve received their opening two Premier League matches in three of the final 4 seasons, however haven’t managed three straight wins to open a marketing campaign since 2011-12 within the Championship.
As for workforce information, there is no such thing as a change for Arteta, who stays with out Gabriel Jesus, Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu attributable to accidents that can preserve them out till mid-September. Brighton, in the meantime, will run the rule on Mats Wieffer and Brajan Gruda’s health, although O’Riley and Solly March are out for Saturday’s conflict.
Arsenal vs Brighton Head-to-Head
Arsenal managed the league double over Brighton final season, profitable this actual fixture 2-0 on the Emirates again in December because of objectives from Jesus and Havertz.
Certainly, Saturday’s hosts have received three of their final 4 Premier League video games in opposition to Brighton (L1), as many as that they had of their first 10 in opposition to them beforehand (D3 L4).
Nevertheless, Brighton have received three of their seven Premier League visits to Arsenal. They’re considered one of simply three groups to have received extra or as many visits to the Emirates as they’ve misplaced within the competitors, together with Manchester Metropolis (W7 L6) and Swansea Metropolis (W3 L3).
That will go away Hürzeler optimistic of one other victory right here, but Brighton didn’t win any of their seven top-flight away video games in opposition to London sides final season, drawing three and shedding 4.
Coincidentally, their final win within the capital was a 3-0 victory at Arsenal in Might 2023, derailing Arteta’s title cost after strikes from Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav and Pervis Estupiñán.
Arsenal vs Brighton Prediction
The Opta supercomputer struggles to see something apart from a win for Arsenal, who triumphed in 66.5% of 10,000 pre-match simulations earlier than kick-off.
Brighton have a 15.6% likelihood of a fourth Premier League victory away to Arsenal, with the draw extra probably in 17.9% of data-led sims.
Although Brighton at present sit second within the desk, they end seventh most frequently (13.1%) in Opta’s season predictions. Arsenal are third however end behind Manchester Metropolis as soon as extra within the title race in an enormous 51.2% of simulations.
Arsenal vs Brighton Predicted Lineups
Arsenal: David Raya, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka.
Brighton: Jason Steele, Joel Veltman, Lewis Dunk, Jan van Hecke, Jack Hinshelwood, Billy Gilmour, James Milner, Kaoru Mitoma, João Pedro, Yankuba Minteh, Danny Welbeck.
Opta Energy Rankings
The Opta Energy Rankings are a world workforce rating system that assigns a capability rating to over 13,000 home soccer groups on a scale between zero and 100, the place zero is the worst-ranked workforce on the planet and 100 is the perfect workforce on the planet.
Forward of kick-off this weekend, right here is the Opta Energy Rating for either side.
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