football.london reporters select their Arsenal starting XIs for the Premier League trip to Brighton
Arsenal celebrate last weekend
Arsenal are looking to rack up their fifth straight Premier League win against Brighton
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Arsenal's Premier League trip to Brighton feels like the kind of game that should be televised this weekend.
Both teams are in great form, and the fallout from last season's match-up at the Amex, which the Gunners won 1-0, rumbled on for days on end.
Fabian Hurzeler's side are currently battling a series of injury problems, with up to nine players potentially sidelined for Saturday's contest while Arsenal are hoping to welcome back several stars who have recently been nursing issues.
Whoever takes to the field, it promises to be a cracker and football.london will be on hand to provide updates and coverage from the South Coast.
For now, our chief Arsenal reporter Tom Canton and Ryan Taylor have selected the Arsenal XI they would pick to face the Seagulls as the Premier League champions seek to make it eight wins from eight in all competitions.
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Tom Canton
Besides William Saliba, this game might feature what is, for many, on paper, Mikel Arteta’s best Arsenal XI. Bruno Guimaraes comes into midfield for Myles Lewis-Skelly after his excellent goal against Sunderland last weekend.
Plus Arteta was able to fully rest Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz , David Raya and Declan Rice from midweek action. Brighton had to go to Old Trafford, where they won, and now faces a day less recovery compared to the Gunners.
Jurrien Timber comes in for the injured Ben White. Hopefully, the Dutchman can maintain some consistency because when on form, he is no doubt one of Arteta’s best and most important weapons
Canton’s Arsenal XI vs Brighton: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Guimaraes, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Tzolis
Bruno Guimaraes
Bruno Guimaraes deserves a place in Arsenal's starting XI this weekend(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Ryan Taylor
Tom is spot on in my humble opinion. It's a classic case of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' I've actually been so impressed with the way Arsenal have started the season.
I wasn't particularly impressed by their transfer business this summer but the core of the team has only got stronger and that's been reflected in the team's results.
I think it's safe to assume Ben White won't be ready to start despite Mikel Arteta indicating he could play, so that should allow Jurrien Timber to feature from the off, providing he is ready.
Timber was left out of the Carabao Cup game at Ipswich Town on Tuesday and for me, that suggests he's in line to start his first game since March.
Bruno Guimaraes should also be in from the beginning after his thunderbolt against Sunderland and Ebere Eze just hasn't done enough to earn a place ahead of Christos Tzolis, though the Greek needs to improve following a slight dip in form. Kai Havertz leads the attack again, unquestionably.
Taylor's Arsenal XI vs Brighton: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Guimaraes, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Tzolis
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