Gull-Mouth Action | Brighton beaten at Anfield, penalty drama at Crawley Town.mp4
All the team news ahead of Brighton’s trip to Arsenal - December 27, 3pm
Brighton and Hove Albion will be boosted by the return of key midfielder Diego Gomez for their trip to league leaders Arsenal.
Gomez missed last Saturday’s 0-0 stalemate with Sunderland at the Amex Stadium last Saturday as he served a one-match ban having collected his fifth booking of the season in the 2-0 loss at Liverpool.
Gomez has made 15 appearances in the Premier League this term and has scored twice in the top flight. His versatility has proved useful for head coach Fabian Hurzeler as he can play in a variety of midfield roles, left wing or even as a No 10.
The Paraguayan’s return is also much-needed as fellow midfielder Carlos Baleba is away on AFCON duty with Cameroon.
Contract extension for Lewis Dunk
Skipper Lewis Dunk was also suspended for the Sunderland game and the 34-year-old returns fresh from triggering an extension in his contract.
Hurzeler said: “He's my captain, he's my skipper. We know his value.
“He proved that this season so far, although he had a tough start. He has really discovered his form.
“He has had some great performances and he's the leader on and off the pitch. We are happy that he's back.”
The Seagulls are without a win in four matches and Hurzeler will be keen for an improvement on the lacklustre display during the 0-0 home draw against Sunderland. Arsenal, at the Emirates is though one of the hardest tests in world football and Brighton need to be at their very best if they are to achieve a positive result.
Hurzeler: We have to play for 90 minutes
“We know the issue,” said the Albion boss. “We have to overcome the consistency thing.
“We have to play well for 90 minutes. We have to understand that it's about scoring goals.
“It's about defending the goal, doing the work in the small margins, not for 10 or 15 minutes but for 90-plus minutes.
“If we are doing this we are very difficult to beat and we can have a good season, but we have to understand how important the small margins are.
“But I see a team who put in a lot of effort. I see a team training hard. I see a team with big, big potential. We proved that we can beat every team in the league.”
“We have to reflect and analyse the games with honesty, with ownership from us as individuals and as a group. On the other side, we have a big self-belief that we can beat every team in the league and that's also what we try to do on Saturday.”
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