Brighton vs Arsenal: Team news, line-ups, betting odds & prediction

Arsenal take on Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium this evening knowing a win would see them close in on the top four of the Premier League table.

It wasn’t so long ago that Mikel Arteta was under huge pressure and betting sites like BCB were tipping the Spaniard for the sack. Arsenal were sitting rock bottom of the table after losing their opening three league games so many fans were calling for Arteta’s head.

However, little over a month later and things are looking a lot more positive at the Emirates Stadium. After beating Norwich City and Burnley, Arsenal won the North London Derby with a 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend and they now sit 10th in the table.

A fourth consecutive victory today would see the Gunners climb up to seventh and put them within just two points of the top four so Arsenal will be desperate to get a result on the South Coast this evening.

But that’s not going to be straightforward as Brighton have enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign having won four of their six league games so far and they head into this game sitting sixth in the division.

Another win for Graham Potters side tonight would move them back into the top four and level on points with leaders Chelsea so Arsenal should be in for an extremely tough game at the Amex Stadium.

Team news

Arsenal were dealt a huge blow after it was confirmed last week that Granit Xhaka is facing around three months on the sidelines with a knee injury that he picked up during the win over Tottenham last weekend.

Albert Sambi Lokonga is now expected to be given a run in the team after impressing since arriving from Anderlecht in the summer. Aaron Ramsdale is likely to keep his place in goal after ousting Bernd Leno while Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette may have to settle for places on the bench once again.

Brighton star Yves Bissouma is an injury doubt after picking up a knock last week while Adam Webster and Steven Alzate have been ruled out once again. Enock Mwepu will face a late fitness test due to a groin issue.

Betting odds

Arsenal are the narrow 6/4 favourites to win the game at the Amex Stadium. Hosts Brighton can be backed at 2/1 to collect all three points while the draw is available at 11/5 for those who feel the points will be shared.

• Arsenal 6/4 to win
• Aubameyang 9/2 first goalscorer
• Arsenal to win 2-1 is 17/2

Prediction

Brighton 1-2 Arsenal: Arsenal have found a renewed confidence in recent weeks and look a much more organised side in comparison to the team that last at Brentford on the opening weekend of the season. Brighton have been terrific all season and will certainly give the Gunners a tough battle on the South Coast and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them get something from this game.

However, we feel Arsenal might just have too much quality in the end so we’re predicting a narrow 2-1 away win for the Londoners.