After a brief holiday respite, the Gunners welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Emirates for the penultimate match of the 2025 calendar year at their home turf.
Arsenal have been in puzzling form over
the last two weeks. They have struggled to find goals in their last three matches, relying on three own goals and a penalty en route to three very bizarre wins. For the glass half full folks, you can trot out the usual “mark of champions” cliche. If Mikel Arteta’s side are to finally get over the line at the end of the season, the ugly wins with a few rabbits pulled out of hats are just as important as the emphatic ones.
The glass half empty take, though, is that this run of form points to an unsustainable bit of good fortune. Unsettling habits have set in, namely the defense’s penchant for conceding late goals. Those late goals wouldn’t be nearly as troubling if the offense could finish their dinner, a problem we have seen creep into the side at times over the years. The Gunners have scored zero open play goals despite accruing over 6 xG in their last three matches. You don’t need to be a statistician to recognize that that’s not great.
With a visit from Aston Villa on deck to see out the year, there’s no time like the present to get off the mark and get back to scoring some goals. Hopefully Father Christmas left some nice, shiny shooting boots under the tree at the Emirates for the Gunners. Otherwise, they could find themselves on Mikel’s naughty list and out of the top spot by the time 2026 begins.
Here are three talking points ahead of Saturday’s match:
Know the Enemy
Brighton come to the Emirates in 9th place on 24 points with a record of 6W/6D/5L.
As the season nears its halfway mark, the Seagulls find themselves stuck in a middle-of-the-table log jam. Their 24 points are 3 points away from 6th place and a potential European spot, but it also puts them just 2 points above 15th. In a season where the top and bottom of the table have distinguished themselves from the rest, the coastal club’s trajectory is murky.
Their performances have been streaky and unpredictable. They have managed wins over Manchester City and Chelsea this season, as they typically are capable of, but those wins are a distant sight in the rear view mirror. They have failed to string wins together, having managed to win two in a row just once this season, when they bested Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the end of November, their most successful month this season with 3 wins from 4 matches.
Their fortunes quickly flipped, and their recent run has seen them winless in December, failing to find the scoresheet in their last two matches. Their four match winless run is their longest since the end of last season, and they will be looking to stop the bleeding on the weekend. Their attacking and defensive stats on the season put them in the top half of the table, but reflect their current place in the table, with Opta predicting that the Seagulls will finish the season in 9th.
Despite their current form, Brighton have proven to be frustrating foes for the Gunners. Last season saw them come back to draw Arsenal in both matches, with each match influenced by memorable flashpoints going against the Gunners, as Declan Rice’s egregiously officious second yellow card at home and William Saliba’s very contentious penalty at the Amex both altered the matches. Since their promotion back to the PL in 2017, they have defeated the Gunners 6 times and drawn them 5 times in 18 meetings across all competitions.
Thankfully, João Pedro, who scored the equalizing goal in each match last season, was sold to Chelsea over the summer. In his absence, it has been former Gunner Danny Welbeck who has bagged the most goals for Brighton, with 7 so far this season. As they typically do, they are replete with several players who have made a splash this season and will be the talks of transfer rumors come the summer, including midfielder Carlos Baleba and forward Yankubah Minteh.
They will be missing several key players when they come to visit the Emirates, with 4 players out due to injury or AFCON. They will see a few players return, including Welbeck, Lewis Dunk, and Jan Paul van Hecke.
Injuries & Suspensions
Tuesday’s match saw Gabriel Martinelli leave the pitch in the second half with a knock following a lengthy spell with the physios in the first half. Piero Hincapie was a scratch after he had picked up a shoulder injury against Everton, though the fact that he finished out that match could be a positive sign (until Arteta rules him out for the next 4-6 weeks).
Kai Havertz is back to first team training, but it stands to reason that he will still need time to get to match fitness. But seeing him back is a sight for sore eyes.
OUT: Gabriel Magalhaes (thigh), Cristhian Mosquera (ankle), Kai Havertz (knee)
DOUBTFUL: Gabriel Martinelli (knock), Piero Hincapie (shoulder)
Predicted Lineup
Attack: Trossard, Gyökeres, Saka
The Gunners will look to finally put the ball in the net themselves at the Emirates after a bizarre run of results in the past two matches at home. Gabriel Martinelli put in a great first half shift against Crystal Palace, but Leandro Trossard has been in consistently good form this season and is a lock for the left wing. Likewise, Bukayo Saka isn’t at any risk of being displaced on the right, despite a few decent showings by Noni Madueke. Viktor Gyökeres was an unused sub midweek, so he should be fresh for a start. Hopefully the rising form of Gabriel Jesus lights a bit of a fire under him.
Midfield: Rice, Zubimendi, Ødegaard
Arsenal’s midfield trio were all rotated against Crystal Palace, with Martin Zubimendi left unused as the match rolled on. The performance of the backups was heartening, especially as players like Declan Rice and Zubi haven’t gotten much rest this season. With Brighton coming to the Emirates, the usual trio makes sense.
Defense: Lewis-Skelly, Calafiori, Saliba, Timber
Piero Hincapie’s shoulder injury saw him miss the cup tie, and whether he is healthy for the match or not will be something to pay attention to. Thankfully, the performance of the defense without him was solid. Riccardo Calafiori displayed his versatility and slotted into the LCB spot exceptionally well. Likewise, Myles Lewis-Skelly had his best performance of the season at LB and looked much more like he did last season. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber were as solid as you’d expect, minus Saliba’s uncharacteristic foul that led to the stoppage time equalizer for Palace.
Keeper: Raya
Arsenal’s no. 1 got the match off on Wednesday and will slide back into his starting spot on Saturday.
The Gunners got the better of the Seagulls when they met in the Carabao Cup in late October with a rotated side. A lot can change in two months’ time in the Premier League, but there is zero reason to believe that Arsenal cannot rise to the challenge and take care of business again. They are the league’s best side at home and boast the best defense in Europe. Wobbles aside, they have the pedigree of champions. Now, they just have to play like it.
WHO: Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion
WHAT: Premier League Match Day 18
WHEN: Saturday, December 27th, 10:00am EST/7:00am PST/3:00pm GMT
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast live on the USA network. Streaming on the NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com
For all your international streaming needs, check LiveSoccerTV.com. Please do not share or discuss links to illegal streams here.
