Arsenal will look to stretch their winning run in the Premier League to four games on Saturday as they travel to the south coast to take on Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Gunners defeated Brentford 3-1 on Wednesday evening in their first game of the New Year. The win saw them move back to second spot in the table and only six points adrift of league leaders Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta’s side will want to continue their winning momentum by overcoming Brighton, who have dropped to 10th after drawing four and losing once in their last five games.
Arsenal Team News
Arsenal have received a boost ahead of the trip to Brighton with Kai Havertz available after missing the game against Brentford with illness. Mikel Arteta has also revealed Raheem Sterling is making good progress in his recovery from his knee injury.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Brighton (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
David Raya continues to be a strong presence in goal for Arsenal. The Spaniard will start at the Amex Stadium, hoping to shut the shop as quickly as possible.
Defence
In front of Raya, Arteta is set to stick with his preferred 4-3-3 formation. Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori will be the full-backs, trying to make an impact at both ends of the pitch.
William Saliba has forged a formidable partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes at the heart of the Arsenal defence, and the duo will have to be at their best to stop the pacey and creative Brighton forwards from scoring.
Midfield
Declan Rice is set to be available from the start after suffering a few small issues, which saw him benched against Brentford last time out. The England international is expected to replace Mikel Merino, who scored in the 3-1 win in midweek.
Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard will join Rice in midfield, adding energy, physicality and creativity the Gunners. If Arsenal require more solidity in the centre of the park, Arteta will have Merino and Jorginho to bring on from the bench.
Attack
After an impressive full Premier League debut against Brentford last time out, Ethan Nwaneri is pushing to start again. He is expected to be rewarded with another chance from the onset on the right flank, with Gabriel Martinelli trying to cause problems for the Brighton defence from the opposite wing.
Gabriel Jesus is on hot goalscoring form of late, netting six goals in his last four games including against Brentford in midweek. He will lead the Arsenal attack once again, with Kai Havertz expected to get minutes off the bench along with Leandro Trossard.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
