Arsenal will be seeking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday when they entertain Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners’ six-game winning runs across all competitions came to an end last weekend at the hands of Aston Villa at Villa Park. The 1-0 loss to Aston Villa meant Mikel Arteta’s side stayed second in the table.
The North London club rounded off their Champions League group-stage campaign with a 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, having made it to the last 16 on matchday 4. They must quickly switch their attention against Brighton, who beat Marseille 1-0 on Thursday to qualify for the knockout rounds as the Group B winners in the Europa League.
Arsenal Team News
Arsenal received an injury boost in midweek when Emile Smith Rowe returned in the Champions League clash against PSV. Unfortunately, on the same day they were dealt a blow as well when Mohamed Elneny was taken off after the hour mark with a suspected hamstring problem.
Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira and Jurrien Timber remain on the sidelines, but Gabriel Martinelli could return to the squad after missing the trip to the Netherlands in midweek due to illness.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup vs Brighton & Hove Albion (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
David Raya will come back into the Arsenal lineup in place of Aaron Ramsdale, who started in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven. Having conceded five goals in the last three games across all competitions, the Spaniard will be desperate for a clean sheet on Sunday.
Defence
In front of Raya, the quartet of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Oleksandr Zinchenko are expected to feature. Saliba and Gabriel will continue their formidable centre-back pairing, hoping to keep Evan Ferguson quiet at the Emirates Stadium.
White and Zinchenko should function as the full-backs in the Arsenal lineup. They will look to help the central defenders as well as provide creative flair going forward.
Midfield
Having come off the bench to help the Gunners pinch a point against PSV, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard must be relatively fresh to face Brighton. They will be joined by Kai Havertz in the Arsenal engine room.
The trio of Rice, Odegaard and Havertz must take control of the game as quickly as possible if Arsenal are to dominate Brighton in the middle of the park.
Jorginho must again settle for a spot on the bench.
Attack
Gabriel Martinelli is expected to recover from illness in time to face Brighton. He will take the left-wing spot in the Arsenal lineup, while Bukayo Saka hopes to catch the eye with his pace, dribbling technique and invention from the right flank.
The duo will need to get the better of the Brighton full-backs and provide Gabriel Jesus with sufficient service in the box. Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard and Emile Smith Rowe would be hoping to make a difference if brought off the bench.