Arsenal at Brighton preview: Full Steam Ahead

01/03/2025 12:30 PM

The Gunners head to the coast to start the second half of the season against Brighton

To quote the poet laureate Jon Bon Jovi: We're halfway there.

Wednesday's 3-1 win away to Brentford officially marked the end of the 1st half of the 2024/25 Premier League season for Arsenal FC, which ended with the Gunners in 2nd place on 39 points, 6 behind league leaders Liverpool.

After starting the season with a few rough patches, things look to be leveling out for the Gunners. The North London side are unbeaten in their last 9 league matches and unbeaten in 12 overall, navigating a sea of injuries and fixture congestion as a little more separation starts to settle over the league.

Arsenal head to Brighton on a three match winning streak, and Mikel Arteta's side have answered the questions asked of them in the absence of Bukayo Saka about as well as you could hope. It hasn't been particularly pretty, but Arsenal have leaned on a stout defense and rotated offense to find gritty results, because that's what good teams do.

The season is at the midpoint, and Arsenal look to be finding some stability. Can they continue to capitalize on it, and get a little revenge as well?

Here are five talking points ahead of Saturday's match:

Know the Enemy

Brighton are in a bit of a bad run of form at the moment. After starting the season with 1 loss from their opening 8 matches, they are currently winless in their last 7, with 5 draws and 2 losses. Their last win came all the way back in late November, and their early season form has seemingly evaporated, with the coastal club struggling against sides like Southampton (draw) and Leicester (draw).

At the Amex, they have suffered only one defeat all season. That sounds impressive at first blush, but that belies the fact that they have only notched 3 wins at home, with their 5 draws a big contributor to their mid table position. Their 14 points earned at home are only one more than they have earned on the road, notching the same amount of wins away from home as they have at it. Less fortress, more fortunate.

Former Gunner Danny Welbeck has been the team's top scorer with 6, but has been missing for the last several matches with a hamstring injury (though he is likely to return against Arsenal). João Pedro, ever the menace, eluded what should have been a deserved red for deliberately swinging his elbow at a Brentford player, once again highlighting the league's officiating incompetence.

Brighton could be without up to 9 first team players through injury and illness, including Welbeck, James Milner, Pervis Estupiñán, Evan Ferguson, and Jack Hinshelwood.

Last Time Out

When Arsenal faced Brighton at the Emirates on match day 3, Arsenal looked like they were headed for a win. They created multiple chances out of the gate before taking a 1-0 lead into halftime after Bukayo Saka deftly blocked off a defender on a cleared ball before tapping it into the path of a sprinting Havertz, who lobbed the keeper shortly before halftime.

And then, that event happened. In one of the most bizarre, head-scratching, and utterly confounding referee decisions in memory, Declan Rice was given his marching orders for a second yellow in the opening moments of the second half. His offense of "delaying the restart" after tapping away a ball that was rolled at him by a Brighton player saw him be the league's first victim of their short-lived crackdown on delaying restarts. Despite getting deliberately cleared out by the subsequent quick kick, it was Rice who was sent off, sending the Emirates into a frenzy.

From that point on, the match swung the visitor's way, leading to a Joāo Pedro goal only minutes after Rice's second yellow. Brighton's advantage, thankfully, could not be capitalized on any further, thanks to some crucial keeper play from David Raya. Arsenal flubbed two gilt-edged changes that could have seen the match end in their favor, and the match ended one all.

Injuries & Suspensions

The good news: Arsenal haven't picked up any new injuries following the win at Brentford on Wednesday, and every player who was not a long term injury is available.

The bad news: Jurrien Timber picked up his 5th yellow card on the last match before the yellow card count reset, which means he misses Saturday's trip to Brighton.

Out: Bukayo Saka (hamstring), Ben White (knee), Timber (yellow card accumulation), Takehiro Tomiyasu (your guess is as good as mine).

Predicted Lineup

Attack: Martinelli, Jesus, Nwaneri

The attacking trio that started against Brentford all contributed, with Martinelli and Jesus scoring and Nwaneri creating the cross that led to Martinelli's match-sealing goal. Havertz was unavailable due to an illness. Even if he is on the mend, who knows how fit he will be by kickoff. Coming off the bench probably works best in that scenario. Trossard could start if Arteta is looking to rotate, but Martinelli's confidence is surely improved after his performance.

Midfield: Merino, Rice, Ødegaard

The domino effect of Timber's suspension means we likely see Thomas Partey pushed to right back. If that is the case, Declan Rice likely slides into the 6. Mikel Merino had a good outing on Wednesday at the 8, so he is a smart bet to hold onto that spot with the reshuffle. Martin Ødegaard isn't losing his spot any time soon, even if he has looked a little off the mark at times.

Defense: Lewis Skelly, Gabriel, Saliba, Partey

Riccardo Calafiori started on Wednesday, but I think Miles Lewis Skelly is a better fit against a Brighton side that can beat you with pace. Calafiori still looks a little rusty following his last injury, as the Mbeumo goal showed. Thomas Partey sliding to the right in the absence of Timber is…fine. He played there against Brighton in the home tie, and held his own.

Keeper: Raya

The Arsenal keeper didn't have his best display in his return to the Gtech, especially with his gaffe that he spilled over his head and cleared off the line. However, his distribution was immense. His long throw to Martinelli in the second half nearly led to a chance, and I'm sure he will look to continue that connection.

Keep it Up

Arsenal recused themselves greatly at Brentford with a 3 goal display that, if temporarily, assuaged fears over how the attack would cope in Saka's absence. Ethan Nwaneri was the prime benefactor, looking sharp and slippery on the right while giving his manager plenty of food for thought. Make no mistake - the 17 year old phenom is far from being the influence Saka is, but he gave Arsenal fans hope that he will continue his incredible upward trajectory in the all-world winger's absence.

The Gunners have a better idea of what they can do with two wins without their talisman under their belt. The nature of the goals have been far from the incisive kind we are used to, but putting the ball in the net counts all the same. The attack needs every bit of confidence, and in order to do that, they need to produce once again before a series of home matches in the crowded January fixture list.

2025 is off to a good start for Arsenal. They are not where they want to be in the league, chasing the leaders, but with so many players on the roster who have been there before, there is reassurance that they know what it takes to climb out of this position. There's plenty of matches left to play, and still plenty left to play for. Here's hoping they are locked in and ready to embrace the grind ahead of them.

WHO: Arsenal at Brighton & Hove Albion
WHAT: Premier League match day 20
WHEN: Saturday, January 4th, 12:30pm EST/9:30am PST/5:30pm GMT
WHERE: The Amex Stadium, Brighton
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast live on NBC and Telemundo. Streaming live on the Peacock app

For all your international streaming needs, check LiveSoccerTV.com. Please do not discuss or share links to illegal streams here.