Brighton vs Arsenal preview; kick off time, team news, how to follow, stream | Football news
WHO: Brighton v Arsenal
What: English Premier League
Where: AMEX Stadium, Brighton, Great Britain
When: 12:30 (12:30 GMT) on Saturday
Follow Al Jazeera’s live photo feed and text commentary.
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must “flip that coin” in their quest to become champions of England after two agonizing near misses.
The second-placed Gunners, runners-up to Manchester City in the last two seasons, are six points behind Arne Slott’s rampaging Liverpool, who have a game in hand, having played half their league games.
Arsenal beat Brentford 3-1 in their last game on Wednesday, but setbacks in October and early November mean the Gunners are playing catch-up and Arteta pleaded for consistency from his men on Friday, who travel to face mid-table Brighton on Saturday.
We have to show the same level of consistency and a little more because last year we were the best team in the league, we broke various records and we still haven’t won a big trophy, so something is missing, said the Spaniard.
“It’s going to be very thin, little details, you can pick up certain plays and situations. But in the end, we’re so close and we just have to flip the coin to make it happen.
“That will only happen if we do what we have to and what we can control. The rest is out of our hands.”
Arsenal are seeking their first Premier League title since 2004 but are set to be without Bukayo Saka until March after the England winger suffered a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace last month.
“There is not a single player who will play nine games in a row in that position, it is impossible,” Arteta said.
He added: “We need more threats, we need more players who are fit and rotated in that unit. We will make decisions about that and also the performance of the players – that’s simple.”
The Arsenal boss said he is not sure if the club will strengthen in the January transfer window.
“The focus is on the players we have,” he said. “When there is something on the market that we can afford and we believe will have a real impact on the team, we have to be open to that possibility.
“We have the option of changing teams in the windows, but at the moment the focus is on what we have.”
Arsenal’s win over Brentford cuts the gap to Liverpool to six points 🫴#FestiveFixtures pic.twitter.com/JAIzpRDlkG
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 1, 2025
Brighton team news
Danny Welbeck and Evan Ferguson are still out with injuries, while new signing Diego Gomez is still getting fit for the match.
Adam Webster returns to the squad after a thigh injury, while Jack Hinshelwood is also set to feature, but Pervis Estupinan faces a late fitness test after illness.
Brighton predicted line-up:
Bart Verbruggen, Lamptey, Tariq van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Igor Julio; Carlos Baleba, Yasin Ayari; Brian Gruda, Julio Enciso, Simon Adingra; João Pedro.
Arsenal team news
Arsenal welcome the return of their top scorer Kai Havertz after illness.
Jurrien Timber misses the game due to a one-game ban, while Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain sidelined with injuries.
Arsenal predicted line-up: David Raya; Jakub Kiwior, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori; Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Mikel Merino; Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.
Head to head
Brighton have failed to win in their last four home matches against Arsenal, with the Gunners winning three of those games.
The Seagulls have won three of their last seven meetings with the North Londoners – all of which came at the Emirates Stadium.
Next stop: Match week 20 🚂 pic.twitter.com/bhpb6jbKzT
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 2, 2025
