After getting back to winning ways on Saturday, Arsenal need to keep pushing for a top-four spot with another win against Brighton on Boxing Day.

Chelsea’s shock result against Leicester brought Arsenal right back into contention for the Champions League places over the weekend. The Gunners are currently only behind on goal difference, so Unai Emery’s side need to be ready to pounce on any further mistakes.

With a game against Liverpool at the weekend, Emery has a bit of a dilemma in terms of his team selection. As nice as it would be to get a result at Anfield, it’s probably better to make sure he secures the three points in midweek, rather than heavily rotating and risking dropping points in both matches.

Let’s have a look at our predicted lineup for the trip to Brighton.

Goalkeeper and Defence

Against both Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley, Unai Emery started with a back-four, and it seems that’s the formation he currently favours. The head coach only switched to a back three on Saturday after Nacho Monreal was forced off with injury, but Laurent Koscielny should be back to take Monreal’s place after a rest.

Alongside Koscielny, Sokratis should start, after making himself look undroppable against Burnley. Shkodran Mustafi is a doubt for this one, so it’s better to save him for Liverpool. Then at left-back, it’s another easy decision, with Monreal out injured and Sead Kolasinac winning the Premier League man-of-the-match award at the weekend.

At right-back, Hector Bellerin won’t make it back in time. Stephan Lichtsteiner and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are therefore Emery’s only options, assuming Carl Jenkinson isn’t suddenly going to play his first Premier League minutes of the season.

After playing 90 minutes against Spurs and Burnley, it seems most likely that Maitland-Niles will get a rest and Lichtsteiner will take his place. In goal, Bernd Leno will almost certainly keep his spot, as usual.

Click ‘Next’ for Midfield, Forwards and the full Predicted Starting XI

Midfield

Lucas Torreira was given a rest on Saturday, but he’s likely to come back into the starting lineup on Wednesday. Arsenal almost always look better with him on the pitch, and Mohamed Elneny didn’t make a particularly impressive Premier League return over the weekend.

The problem is that Torreira is only one yellow card away from a suspension. Arsenal can’t afford to lose him for the Liverpool game, so he needs to come through this match without a booking.

Granit Xhaka got to enjoy 30 or so minutes in his favourite midfield position at the weekend before being forced to fill in at centre-back again. Thankfully, with Koscielny’s return, he should get to play in midfield again on this occasion. To complete the midfield trio, Matteo Guendouzi seems the most likely candidate.

Unai Emery has preferred to use Aaron Ramsey in the front three, whether as a wide player or a number 10, so it doesn’t seem like he’s a real option in midfield. We’ll see if that changes if Arsenal stick with a midfield three for an extended period of time.

Click ‘Next’ for Forwards and the full Predicted Starting XI

Forwards

Arsenal’s front three against Burnley worked really well together. Mesut Özil bounced back from his exclusion from the League Cup squad on Wednesday to play a pivotal role in two of the goals. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was clinical with the two chances that fell his way, and Alexandre Lacazette set up one of those goals as well as linking up well with his teammates all game.

The Frenchman came off early for Alex Iwobi, who scored in the final minutes, so Lacazette should certainly be available to start again in midweek. Aubameyang will also probably keep his place, as Arsenal are starting to rely on the goals of the league’s top scorer.

When he’s not injured, Özil doesn’t tend to have any problem starting multiple games in a week, so it seems probably Emery will just stick with the same front three two games in a row.

However, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi will both hope to stake a claim for a spot in the team.

Iwobi may find it difficult in the current formation, and based on Emery’s recent team selections it seems more likely that Ramsey starts against a high-energy Liverpool team than a Brighton team that are likely to sit back. It’s always possible one of them makes a surprise appearance though.

Click ‘Next’ for the full Predicted Starting XI

Predicted Starting XI