Premier League line-ups, stats, preview

Arsenal-Brighton preview

Arsenal know that losing points at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday could cede top spot in the Premier League to Manchester City.

The Cityzens visit Nottingham Forest early in Matchday 18 and are two points behind the Gunners with a superior goal difference.

“We are alive in all competitions” Arsenal said head coach Mikel Arteta. “The team shows great signs of consistency, quality and cohesion.

“What we have to do is continue to generate the chances we have and not concede anything. Do that and trust the players.”

Without a victory in four matches, Brighton Hopefully Arsenal’s energy levels were depleted by their EFL Cup quarter-final home win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday, winning on penalties after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.

Albion lost 2–0 away to a largely secondary Arsenal side in the quarter-finals of the competition on 29 October.

“They are good in transition, on set pieces and in and out of possession,” Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler said of his team’s opponents.

“They’re the best team in the league at the moment, so you have to be good every minute. You have to stay alive, you have to be attentive to what’s happening.

“On the other hand, we know we can hurt teams and that’s what we’re going to try to do. We can’t go there with the mentality of only thinking about defending.

“We have to play with courage. We know we can beat all the teams in the championship, although it will be a big challenge. But we are going there to win.”

Arsenal vs Brighton team news

Full-back Piero Hincapie and striker Gabriel Martinelli are doubts for Arsenal. Defender Cristhian Mosquera and winger Max Dowman are out with ankle injuries, while forward Kai Havertz still has a knee problem.

Centre-back Gabriel (groin) and full-back Ben White (hamstring) are also out.

Striker Danny Welbeck and centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke could return for Brighton after missing the 0-0 home draw with Sunderland last Saturday.

Defender and captain Lewis Dunk, who has just triggered a contract extension, joins midfielder Diego Gomez on his return from suspension, but full-back or midfielder Mats Wieffer is doubtful.

Midfielder Carlos Baleba is participating in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon. Centre-half Adam Webster, winger Solly March and striker Stefanos Tzimas are all out with long-term knee injuries.

Expected Arsenal vs Brighton Lineups

Arsenal starting lineup: David Raya, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyokeres

Brighton starting XI: Bart Verbruggen, Mats Wieffer, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Ferdi Kadioglu, Yankuba Minteh, Brajan Gruda, Jack Hinshelwood, Diego Gomez, Georginio Rutter, Danny Welbeck

How to watch Arsenal vs Brighton: TV channel, live stream online

Kick-off on Saturday will be at 3:00 p.m. GMT (10:00 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. PT). This match is not shown live in the UK.

Arsenal vs Brighton Stats

• Arsenal have won three of their eight Premier League home matches against Albion (D2 L3)
• They only have a lower win rate against Wimbledon (25%) and Liverpool (36%) among teams they have faced at least five times.
• Arsenal’s three home Premier League wins against Brighton have been 2-0 (October 2017, May 2021, December 2023).
• Mikel Arteta has only once enjoyed a winning home run longer than his current five-game winning streak, recording 10 consecutive victories between April and December 2022.
• Goalkeeper David Raya is set for a 150th Premier League appearance for Arsenal – since his debut in August 2021, the goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets than any other keeper in the competition (58).
• Among players who have played at least 500 minutes in the Premier League this season, only Manchester City pair Jeremy Doku (3.4) and Rayan Cherki (3.2) have created more chances per 90 minutes than Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard (2.5), with the Norway international creating four in their 1-0 win at Everton last Saturday.
• Brighton are winless in their last four Premier League matches against Arsenal (D2 L2), although they came from behind to draw 1-1 in both meetings last season.
• Albion have failed to score in their last two Premier League matches, joining Everton as the two teams who have failed to score in Matchdays 16 and 17.
• Hurzeler’s record without a win in his 10 Premier League matches in December (D6, L4) is the most games a top manager has ever gone in December without a win.
• Against Sunderland, Brighton named the youngest starting team in a Premier League match this season (23 years, 240 days) under the youngest manager in the competition (32 years, 297 days as of December 20), while also fielding the oldest player to appear in the competition in 2025/26 (replacing James Milner, aged 39 years, 350 days).