Arsenal v Brighton – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Arsenal host Brighton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup. The Gunners sit top of the Premier League table with 11 wins in 13 matches so far. The Gunners haven’t lifted the League Cup since 1993. The Seagulls have never won a major trophy and have only ever reached one FA Cup final in their history.

Arsenal Form

The Gunners are in sensational form this season. They deservedly sit top of the league with just five points dropped in 13 matches – 34 points is more than the Invincibles had at this stage. After losing 3-1 to Man Utd, Arteta’s side won eight in a row in all competitions, four in the league and four in the Europa League.

A 1-1 draw at Southampton was a disappointment in a fatigued display were losing 2-0 at PSV. They’ve bounced back well by thrashing Nottingham Forest 5-0 and then beating FC Zurich 1-0 to clinch top spot in their Europa group to avoid the playoffs. On Saturday, they thoroughly outplayed Chelsea in a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal Team News

Arsenal are without Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu due to injuries. There is expected to be a decent amount of rotation for this match but a strong side should still be selected. Matt Turner will likely play in goal after he missed a recent Europa League outing due to an injury. Eddie Nketiah is set to play up front.

Kieran Tierney is set to start at left-back and Rob Holding could get a rare outing in central defence in place of William Saliba. Gabriel should start with no World Cup involvement on the horizon for him. Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira will also hope for opportunities, with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard most likely to be given breathers.

Arsenal Motivation

Arteta has had a big week, winning at Chelsea and avoiding two extra matches in Europa by topping their Europa League group. He will want to win this match but it’s certainly the lowest on the list of priorities.

The coach will want to keep some fresh legs for the trip to Wolves on Saturday. There is no extra time but Arsenal will want to win outright and avoid going to penalties.

Brighton Form

Brighton made a great start to this season with 13 points from six league matches under former coach Graham Potter. Roberto de Zerbi came in and had a difficult start results-wise with three losses and two draws in his first five fixtures.

There were some strong performances in that run, not least drawing 3-3 with Liverpool at Anfield. The winless run was snapped by a fine 4-1 home win against Chelsea. Brighton made it successive wins by taking three points at Wolves last time out. Having trailed 2-1, then came back to win 3-2 albeit with their opponents playing 45 minutes with ten men.

Brighton Team News

De Zerbi is without Jakub Moder due to injury but has a clean bill of health otherwise. It’s not clear how strong the coach will go for this match but at least some rotation looks likely. Joel Veltman is set for a start after injury and Danny Welbeck could return after being a substitute in the last couple of games.

Billy Gilmour and Tariq Lamptey will hope for rare starts in midfield and at right-back respectively. Adam Lallana is set for a breather after some recent injury issues.

Brighton Motivation

With a home game against Aston Villa over the weekend, the full focus may not be on this cup game. A victory against Villa would keep Brighton in the top six going into the World Cup so that is the priority.

De Zerbi’s side will attack and try to win regardless of the personnel he selects.

Key Stats

Arsenal have won 11 of their last 13 matches (D1, L1)

Arsenal have kept 3 clean sheets in a row

Arsenal have won 12 home matches in a row (36 scored)

Brighton have lost 3 of their last 5 away matches

Brighton have conceded 12 goals in their last 5 away matches (PL)

Brighton have W4 and D3 of their last 9 matches against Arsenal

Verdict

Brighton have a great record against the Gunners and will give them a tough game. Arsenal are imperious at home but could rotate their side somewhat here. It will be key to see the starting XI’s for this match to inform your betting.

Best Bet: Arsenal win at 1.66
Multiplier Leg: Arsenal win/draw double chance + over 2.5 goals at 2.30
Build-a-bet: Arsenal win + over 1.5 goals + Nketiah anytime scorer at 3.74

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis