Arsenal travel to the Amex on Saturday evening looking to extend their winning run in a mouthwatering clash against High-flying Brighton and Hove Albion.
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 23, 2021. Photo by ALASTAIR GRANT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The Graham Potter’s side have been a revelation this season and are on their best start to a Premier league season in years, picking up 13 points from first six games and are just a point below first place.
A last minute equaliser saw them rescued a point on Monday night at Selhurst Park as the absence of Yves Bissouma was a real miss for them in the match.
The Malian, who was substituted due to injury in their 2-1 win over Leicester City is also a doubt for the meeting with Mikel Arteta side.
Arsenal will come into the game on the back of a four straight win in all competitions. They produced a sensational first half performance last time out to beat Tottheham Hotspur 3-1 in the North London derby clash.
The negative from the match was injury to their Swiss Midfielder, Granit Xhaka, who has now been ruled out for up to three months, but Arteta will be hopeful that the likes of Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland Niles will step up in the absence of the ever present Swiss.
While Xhaka is the only major absentee for Arsenal, Brighton are not so lucky as the likes of Adam Webster, Danny Welbeck, Enock Mwepu and Steven Alzate are on the sideline, along with Bissouma.
The previous meetings between these two have been pretty even as both have won twice in each of their last four games, with the Gunners wining the last two.
Nicolas Pepe has scored three goals in his last two games against Brighton. He has never scored more against any side in the Premier league. He will be a real threat should he be selected by Mikel Arteta.
Predicted line-ups
Brighton: Sanchez, Burn, Dunk, Duffy, Veltman, Cucurella, Lallana, Gross, Connolly, Maupay, Trossard.
Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tierney, White, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Partey, Ødegaard, Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang, Pepe.
Afolabi Kehinde Hassan
