Arsenal take their perfect Premier League record to the Amex Stadium on Saturday, where Brighton will provide another difficult test after an impressive start of their own.
Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday as they embark on their fourth consecutive away match of the season, this time against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
The Gunners have won all four of their opening league games, conceding only once, while victories over Napoli in the Champions League and Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup have extended that winning start across every competition.
Tuesday’s 4-2 win at Portman Road also allowed Arteta to rotate heavily. Max Dowman scored twice, with Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino also on target, while several of Arsenal’s regular Premier League starters were either rested completely or only used from the bench.
Brighton should represent a considerable step up in difficulty.
Fabian Hürzeler’s side have taken seven points from their opening four league matches and sit fifth after scoring 13 goals, the most of any club so far this season. Their most recent Premier League outing ended in an emphatic 5-0 victory at Coventry City.
Arsenal Team News
Cristhian Mosquera has been moving closer to a return. Arteta said before the Sunderland game that the defender was “doing really well” and could potentially return either for that match or the next, putting Brightonwithin the original timeframe given by the Arsenal manager.
Ben White is another player to monitor after going off at half-time against Sunderland with a groin problem and subsequently missing the Carabao Cup victory at Ipswich.
There is better news surrounding Jurrien Timber. The Dutchman returned from his lengthy absence against Sunderland but was left out of the squad at Portman Road. Arteta confirmed afterwards that there was no new problem and that Timber had simply been rested after playing more minutes than planned on his comeback.
The Gunners still remain without centre-back William Saliba, whose return to the squad is still expected to be some time.
Arteta used the Carabao Cup trip to Ipswich to rotate heavily, making nine changes and giving several of his key players a breather. Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were among those given reduced workloads, while David Raya and Declan Rice were left out of the matchday squad altogether.
All four should come straight back into contention at Brighton, where Arsenal are likely to be much closer to full strength against a side that has started the season in prolific form. Bruno Guimaraes has also pushed his case for more Premier League minutes, scoring his first Arsenal goal from the bench at Sunderland before featuring again in midweek.
Brighton Form and Team News
Brighton have started the season with two wins, one draw and one defeat.
They opened with a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa before losing a seven-goal game 4-3 at Chelsea. A 1-1 draw with Leeds followed before Brighton produced their biggest result of the campaign so far, beating Coventry 5-0 away from home.
Five different players scored at Coventry, showing that their threat is not just down to one position with Babis Kostoulas, Malick Yalcouye, Pascal Gross, Lewis Dunk and Yasin Ayari all finding the net.
Brighton do have another game to negotiate before Arsenal arrive, with Hürzeler’s side travelling to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
As things stand, Brighton have reported no fresh injury concerns ahead of that tie. Georginio Rutter is due to be available after a recent setback, while summer signing Femi Azeez is being assessed on a day-to-day basis.
Any problems picked up at Old Trafford could naturally alter the picture before Saturday.
What to Expect From Brighton vs Arsenal
This was one of Arsenal’s more difficult away victories during last season’s title-winning campaign.
Bukayo Saka scored after nine minutes at the Amex in March, but Arsenal spent long periods having to defend their advantage before eventually leaving with a 1-0 win. Brighton had much of the pressure without finding an equaliser.
Hürzeler’s side have started this season with plenty of attacking threat again. Thirteen goals through four league games demonstrates that, although four came against Aston Villa and another five against promoted Coventry.
Arsenal’s defensive record is almost the opposite. Arteta’s team have conceded only once in four Premier League matches, with an early Morgan Rogers strike the only effort to make it past David Raya this season.
In that match, Arsenal faced a Chelsea side who had also been scoring for fun with seven goals in two Premier League games before facing Arsenal at the Emirates, so it’s not the first time the Gunners have faced a side who have shown their capabilities in front of goal.
Brighton are unlikely to simply sit deep and wait for Arsenal, particularly at home, having averaged over 70% possession across their last five matches. They have players comfortable taking possession under pressure and will look to create situations where Arsenal’s midfield and full-backs are dragged out of position.
For Arsenal, there should also be spaces to attack if they can play through Brighton’s pressure.
When Is Brighton vs Arsenal?
Brighton host Arsenal at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, September 19.
Kick-off is scheduled for 3pm BST.
How to Watch Brighton vs Arsenal
As the match kicks off at 3pm BST on Saturday, it falls within the Saturday 3pm blackout, so it will not be shown live on television in the UK.
In the United States, Brighton vs Arsenal kicks off at 10am ET, 9am CT, 8am MT and 7am PT. The game is scheduled to be shown on USA Network, with Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo.
In Canada, the kick-off times are 10am ET, 9am CT, 8am MT and 7am PT. Premier League coverage is available through Fubo Sports on DAZN Canada, with DAZN confirming that Premier League matches remain part of its football offering through Fubo Sports.
Prediction
Brighton have already shown enough going forward to make this a very different assignment from Arsenal’s opening away games, and the short turnaround from Ipswich gives Arteta another squad-management decision to make.
Arsenal should arrive with considerably more of their first-choice side restored, though, and the defensive consistency through the opening weeks has given them a strong platform even when matches have been tight.
Brighton are capable of making Arsenal work for it again at the Amex, but the visitors have so far found a way through every different type of test.
Prediction: Brighton 1-3 Arsenal