Mikel Arteta’s side arrive on the south coast looking to extend their perfect start and set a new club benchmark, so how will the teams line up?
Arsenal are at Brighton today for Matchweek five, looking to open a season with eight wins for the first time in 123 years when they were in the second division.
Ahead of the game, Arsenal had a number of doubts over a few players – Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera – but Mikel Arteta hinted that they were all fit and fine to be included in the squad.
Timber was fit to start while Hincapie is on the bench. White and Mosquera are not in the squad but Cristhian did travel with them.
Let’s look at the teams for both sides.
Brighton v Arsenal teams
Brighton starting XI: Verbuggen, Kadioglu, Vuskovic, Struijk, Boscagli, Chema Andres, Ayari, Gomez, Groß, De Cruper, Kostoulas
Brighton subs: Steele, Hadjam, Rutter, David, Osman, Costinha, Svoboda, O’Riley, Yalcouye
Arsenal starting XI: Raya, Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Bruno G, Odegaard, Saka, Havertz, Tzolis.
Arsenal subs: Arrizabalaga, Hincapie, Merino, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly, Eze, Madueke, Dowman, Gyokeres
Brighton v Arsenal head-to-head record
- Arsenal have played Brighton 35 times and have won 20 of them, losing eight and drawing seven.
- Arsenal have won the last three games against Brighton (two home, one away) and have lost none of their last seven.
- The last time Brighton beat Arsenal at the Ammex was in June 2020, with their three wins since then coming at the Emirates.
Brighton v Arsenal match stats
- Brighton have yet to win a home game against the reigning Premier League champions, drawing two and losing five, conceding at least four goals in each game.
- Brighton are the top scorers in the league this season, netting 13 – five more than Arsenal. Nine of those goals came in just two matches – 4-0 v Aston Villa and 5-0 v Coventry.
- Brighton have also conceded five times as many as Arsenal in the league this season so far, with the Gunners letting in just once.
- Brighton rank first this season for forcing high turnovers, and second overall since Fabian Hurzeler took over in 24/25.
- Arsenal have conceded just two goals in their last nine Premier League matches.
- Arsenal have won their last nine Premier League matches. They have only won 10 in a row twice before (1998 and 2002).
- Arsenal have only allowed 2.7 xG in total this season, with 0.8 of that coming from the penalty Sunderland should not have been awarded last week.
- 50% of the goals Arsenal have scored this season have come in the 15 minutes after half-time.
- Brighton, meanwhile, have conceded more goals in the first 15 minutes of a match this season than any other side.
- Stuart Attwell, who, as VAR, did not overturn the Sunderland penalty v Arsenal is referee today for Everton v Ipswich.
- Matt Donohue, who was VAR for United v City is not being used this week in the Premier League.
- In Arsenal’s four Premier League games this season, VAR has failed to award one clear penalty to Arsenal (and a red card to Aston Villa defend Ian Maatsen) while awarding one incorrectly to Sunderland. Arsenal did not concede a single penalty last season.
- Bukayo Saka has scored on each of his last three trips to Brighton. He has three goals and two assists in his last six against the Seagulls.
- Arsenal have failed to score in one of their last 19 Premier League away games and have failed to win just three of their last 35 games on the road.
Brighton vs Arsenal match officials
- Referee: Darren England
- VAR: Tim Wood
- Ass. 1: Scott Ledger
- Ass. 2: Alistair Nelson
- 4th official: Michael Salisbury
- Ass. VAR: James Mainwairing
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