Arsenal will hope to remain atop the Premier League table when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
The action is coming thick and fast as the year winds down, and Gameweek 18 of the 2022/23 Premier League season begins on Friday with the game between West Ham United and Brentford. And the action on Saturday will end at the Amex Stadium, where Brighton & Hove Albion will welcome Arsenal.
Brighton & Hove Albion have been superb thus far this season, with European qualification on the cards. The Seagulls started the campaign with a win over Manchester United and were in the top four when Graham Potter moved to Chelsea. But apart from a few surprising results, the Brighton juggernaut has continued. And Robert De Zerbi’s men returned to action with a 3-1 win over Southampton this week.
On the other hand, the 2022/23 season has reflected Arsenal’s progress under Mikel Arteta. The Gunners have been on top of the Premier League table since the first month and are currently five points ahead of Manchester City. And Arsenal resumed the top-flight campaign with a hard-fought 3-1 win over West Ham United on Boxing Day.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a goalless stalemate, with the two teams managing only four shots on target between themselves. And The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
"I work with passion, I follow perfection.
"I was happy against Southampton to see my team play very good football, but we are working and there is still more improvement to come." #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/66lz6WXJTN
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) December 30, 2022
Roberto De Zerbi has one new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Arsenal. On Saturday, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager might be without five first-team players due to injuries and suspension.
Moises Caicedo is the latest absentee for Brighton due to a one-match ban after he picked up his fifth booking of the season. The Ecuadorian midfielder has joined Adam Webster (knock), Jakub Moder (knee), and Danny Welbeck (knock) on the sidelines. In addition, Alexis Mac Allister is unavailable after representing Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.
Caicedo’s absence will give Billy Gilmour a rare opportunity to make his mark for Brighton. The Scottish international will join Pascal Gross in the double pivot in the middle of the park. And Adam Lallana will be the most advanced midfielder for Brighton, although he will often drop deep during the defensive phases.
Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma were impressive against Southampton and will carry the threat from the flanks. And Leandro Trossard will spearhead the Brighton attack against Arsenal in the absence of Welbeck.
As for the defensive unit, Levi Colwill will continue to pair up with Lewis Dunk in the backline. Joel Veltman and Pervis Estupinan will be the full-backs. But Veltman will combine to create a back three in the defensive phases, with March dropping deep as a wing-back. Finally, Robert Sanchez picks himself between the sticks.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Colwill, Estupinan; Gilmour, Gross; March, Lallana, Mitoma; Trossard
Arsenal
Unlike his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Mikel Arteta has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. The Arsenal manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
The good news is that Takehiro Tomiyasu should be available after recovering from a hamstring strain. The Japanese international has taken part in training leading up to the game and should be in the matchday squad. But Emile Smith Rowe (groin), Reiss Nelson (hamstring), and Gabriel Jesus (knee) remain on the sidelines.
🗓 Final match of the year loading…
■■■■■■■■■■■□□ pic.twitter.com/7vbbOMBiQy— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 30, 2022
Eddie Nketiah should continue to spearhead the Arsenal attack in Jesus’s absence against Brighton on Saturday. The youngster will have support from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, with the duo being direct in their approach. Martin Odegaard will play behind Nketiah, pulling the strings from a free role.
Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are automatic selections in the double pivot. And the duo will protect the Arsenal backline on Saturday. But Xhaka will also have the freedom to charge forward when the opportunities present themselves.
Oleksandr Zinchenko came off the bench in the game against West Ham this week. And the Ukrainian international should start as the left-back this weekend. Ben White, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhaes will complete the defensive unit, with Aaron Ramsdale taking his place between the sticks.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion have lost just one of their five Premier League home games against Arsenal (W2 D2), a 1-0 loss in December 2020. The Seagulls are one of only three teams that the Gunners have lost (4) more Premier League games than they have won (3) against, along with Manchester United (W17 L26) and Liverpool (W17 L25).
- Brighton & Hove Albion have lost their final league game in just one of the last six calendar years (W3 D2), although that defeat did come at home to Arsenal in their final game of 2020.
- Arsenal have won just two of their last seven league games played on New Year’s Eve (D3 L2), beating Aston Villa 3-0 in 1988 and QPR 1-0 in 2011.
- Arsenal have kept six clean sheets in their eight Premier League away games this season (more than any other side), as many as they had managed in 19 outings on the road the last term. However, the only two away matches they have failed to win in 2022/23 are the ones in which they have conceded a goal (1-3 vs Manchester United, 1-1 vs Southampton).
- Danny Welbeck has scored four goals in his last five games against Arsenal in all competitions, a run stretching back to Manchester United’s 8-2 win over the Gunners in August 2011. He has also netted against them this term, doing so in the Seagulls’ 3-1 win in the League Cup in November.
Player to Watch
Eddie Nketiah
Pundits and fans alike have questioned Eddie Nketiah’s credentials to fill Gabriel Jesus’s void in the coming months. Paul Merson has even suggested that Arsenal might struggle to finish in the top four if Nketiah continues as the first-choice striker. But the 23-year-old answered his detractors emphatically against West Ham United.
The young striker has Arsenal’s fate in his hands, and he can stop history from repeating itself. And Nketiah will be eager to embark on a scoring run in the hectic festive schedule. Brighton will present him with a big challenge, and it will be interesting to see how he fares.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Arsenal
West Ham United exposed a few chinks in Arsenal’s armour in the game on Boxing Day. And with Brighton & Hove Albion possessing a much stronger offensive unit, Arsenal will have a tough challenge to overcome this weekend.
The Seagulls were irresistible against Southampton and will take the game to the Gunners. But Mikel Arteta has forged a resolute unit in the last couple of years. And Arsenal should rise to the occasion to get past Brighton when referee Anthony Taylor blows the full-time whistle. The Hard Tackle predicts the visitors to eke out a hard-fought 2-1 win at the Amex Stadium.