Premier League: Arsenal Seek Big Win over Slumping Seagulls

Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Arsenal’s hopes of finishing in the Premier League‘s top four took a hit with their 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.

The Gunners still have a game in hand over rivals Tottenham, though, and they will look to get back on track when they take on struggling Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Seagulls have been on a disastrous slide that has seen them win just once over the last three months. And the Premier League 2022 betting odds will not be in their favour as they visit the Emirates.

Talking Points

Gunners eager to fire back after Palace setback

Arsenal’s Champions League hopes suffered a blow after they lost 3-0 away to former Gunners captain Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace. Mikel Arteta publicly called out his side for their “unacceptable” performance, particularly in the first half, when they went 2-0 down inside the first half hour.

The loss leaves Arsenal in fifth, tied with north London rivals Tottenham on 54 points but with an inferior goal difference. Although, the Gunners do still have a game in hand.

It was the first time Arsenal’s defence had given up three goals since their 3-2 defeat to Manchester United back in early December. Arsenal have had one of the best defences in the league since then, surrendering just 14 goals in their last 15 games.

Centre-back Ben White – who arrived this summer from Brighton on a £50m deal – has been a big reason for the Gunners’ success this season, and the 24-year-old will be keen to put on a good performance against his old side.

Meanwhile, Nuno Tavares made his first Premier League appearance in more than a month against Palace, and he was substituted at half-time after a rough first half. But with Kieran Tierney likely to miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury, the young Portuguese could still get another shot to start.

On the other end of the pitch, forward Gabriel Martinelli could be set to return to the starting lineup to provide more support for Alexandre Lacazette in attack. The young Brazilian has cooled off after his hot run to end 2021, though, and has just one goal and one assist over his last 13 appearances in all competitions.

Seagulls still struggling for goals

Brighton’s recent Premier League 2022 results make for grim reading. While the Seagulls finally snapped their disastrous six-game losing skid, they were still held to a goalless draw at home by bottom-side Norwich.

Scoring goals remains the main Achilles heel of Graham Potter’s side. They have now gone goalless in six of their last seven matches. They have especially struggled to score home; they haven’t gotten a goal at Falmer Stadium in each of their last five games.

Neal Maupay – the team’s top scorer with nine goals this season – missed a penalty against Norwich and has scored just one league goal in 2022. Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard has been on a major slump of his own and has failed to score a single goal since Boxing Day.

Danny Welbeck got the start against Norwich, but the former Arsenal man doesn’t start back-to-back games too often and could drop to the bench against his old side.

The unfortunate reality for Graham Potter is that he just lacks the attacking options to try and shake things up. Adam Lallana returned to the bench against Norwich, but it remains to be seen how effective he will be after his recent injury setback.

And speaking of injuries, centre-back Adam Webster could be in contention to return after missing the last few weeks with a groin injury.

History

Since coming up to the Premier League in 2015, Brighton have been quite competitive against Arsenal. The Seagulls and Gunners share three wins apiece against the other, while they have also drawn three times.

After some early setbacks, though, Arsenal have had the upper hand over Brighton in recent matchups. They did the double over the Seagulls last season, which included a 2-0 win at the Emirates thanks to a Nicolas Pepe brace.

Meanwhile, the two sides played out a goalless draw in their first meeting this season at Falmer Stadium.

Betting Tip

SBOTOP odds have Arsenal installed as heavy 1.62 favourites over struggling Brighton, who are priced at 6.00 away from home. Meanwhile, a draw is 3.45.

After their disastrous defensive display against Palace, look for Arsenal to go back to basics against Brighton, which means more solidity at the back. Brighton are already struggling to score as it is, and Arsenal’s renewed focus to keep a clean sheet will make it even tougher for the Seagulls. All in all, this match has the makings of a low-scoring affair, with the total number of goals unlikely to exceed three.

 

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