Brighton restarts their Premier League campaign at home to Arsenal this afternoon with the Gunners looking to bounce back from defeat at Manchester City.
Arsenal side fell to a 3-0 defeat at the Etihad on the opening night of Project Restart on Thursday with David Luiz at the centre of a calamitous evening.
The Brazilian picked up a three match suspension after his red card with Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari also limping off.
Arsenal remain eight points behind fourth place Chelsea having now played the same number of games.
Brighton meanwhile restart their campaign just two points off the relegation zone.
Arsenal showed familiar vulnerability against City but it is difficult to understate the importance of having a game under your belt after a three-month absence.
Even at this stage, more dropped points would be detrimental to Arsenal’s chances of launching a late battle for fourth place. Three points is a must.
TEAM NEWS
Brighton forward Aaron Connolly has fully recovered from knee and ankle injuries and is pushing for a start against Arsenal.
Long-term absentee Jose Izquierdo is the only player unavailable to head coach Graham Potter.
Granit Xhaka could miss out for Arsenal because of an ankle problem, while Pablo Mari also joined Arsenal’s lengthy injury list in midweek at Manchester City.
David Luiz begins a two-game ban.
Mesut Ozil’s fitness continues to be assessed ahead of a potential recall.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Brighton lost the first Premier League meeting between the sides in October 2017 but are unbeaten in the subsequent four games (W2, D2).
- The Seagulls are looking to complete their first league double over the Gunners.
- Arsenal are winless in four away league games against Brighton (D1, L3), last winning in April 1981.
Brighton & Hove Albion
- Brighton are the only side in the top four English divisions yet to win a league game in 2020; they have drawn six matches and lost three.
- The Seagulls could equal their top-flight club record of 10 matches without a win on Saturday.
- Albion have won just one of their past eight home league fixtures (D4, L3).
- Brighton have accrued 29 points after 29 games. That is four points down on this stage of last year, and five adrift of their tally in 2017-18.
Arsenal
- Defeat at Manchester City on Wednesday ended Arsenal’s unbeaten league start to the calendar year (W4, D4).
- The Gunners have won only two of their 14 away league fixtures this season (D8, L4).
- Ninth-placed Arsenal have lost only one of their 17 league fixtures against teams currently below them in the table (W8, D8). That defeat was against Brighton.
- Arsenal have scored only eight league goals outside of London this term, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang providing seven of those.
- Aubameyang has scored 49 goals in 76 league appearances. Thierry Henry holds the Arsenal club record for fewest appearances to reach 50 Premier League goals, taking 83 matches.
- The Gunners have had a league-high three players sent off since Mikel Arteta became head coach in December.
PREDICTION: 1-2
