Arsenal are set to wrap up their long and winding four match road trip when they visit Brighton on Saturday for the last Premier League match before the first international break of the season.
The Gunners have racked up their frequent flyer miles in September, but have made the most of them with three wins on the road in the Champions League, Premier League, and Carabao Cup. Saturday wraps up their travels with potentially their trickiest test yet, as they face a Brighton side that has been lighting
up the net for fun.
The inevitable wear and tear of the season has crept in with more players picking up knocks, but a respite awaits. Can they get through one more test without any more attrition, grab another win, and stay atop the league?
Let’s take a look at who is out, who is returning, and how the Gunners might potentially lineup when they face the Seagulls.
Injuries & Suspensions
Arsenal’s midweek victory over Ipswich Town saw one of Arteta’s more ambitiously rotated lineups, but one unexpected omission was defender Piero Hincapie, who was left out of the side after suffering a minor muscular issue during training.
While the Gunners took care of business in spite of his absence, Hincapie’s knock means that Arsenal now face up to four defenders out for Saturday. William Saliba has been the one constant, but recent injuries to Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White means that the back line is already facing a bit of an injury crisis.
I feel like it gets said far too often, but the international break couldn’t come at a better time.
OUT: William Saliba (back), Ben White (groin), Cristhian Mosquera (hamstring)
DOUBT: Piero Hincapie (muscle)
Predicted Lineup
Attack: Tzolis, Havertz, Saka
LW: Christos Tzolis
The Greek winger started on the bench and came on for some late minutes on Wednesday with the match well in hand and the side already on their way to see the match out.
Tzolis has been Arteta’s first choice left wing option in the league, though he has had some ups and downs in his first season with Arsenal. He’s shown flashes of brilliance with his directness, but has also shown some acclimation pains along the way. Brighton pose another unique test with their relentless pressing. There’s a part of me that thinks Eze gets the nod with his experience, but Tzolis so far has brought a lot of chance creation and teeth to the attack.
ST: Kai Havertz
The German attacker got the night off on Wednesday and watched Arsenal’s win from the bench.
If there was any glimmer of a hint of a doubt that Viktor Gyökeres would supplant him, that was summarily squashed on Wednesday when the Swede was anonymous once again with 18 total touches and one shot despite getting a full 90 minutes against a rotated Ipswich side. Something isn’t right with him at the moment.
Kai has been in good form to start the season and is an ideal matchup against Brighton. His tactical smarts and press-resistance are worlds better than Gyökeres, and he has been more involved in the constant interchanges in the attack, popping up in wide spaces and looking sharp. His ability to press the back line will be a big factor if the Gunners want to enter the break with a win on the road.
RW: Bukayo Saka
Starboy is back. After 4 matches in the league, he has found the net 3 times and has looked to have largely recovered from last season’s chronic injury issues. There have still been moments where he has looked slightly off the boil, but his ability to keep defenses on their heels and create chances from the right is still elite, and the side will need him pulling defenders out of position and putting in crosses against a Brighton defense that has been slightly over-performing their xG.
Noni Madueke made a strong case for more minutes with a solid outing at Ipswich. Arteta has been better about making subs to overworked players so far, so hopefully Noni can start taking a little more off of Saka’s plate.
Midfield: Rice, Bruno, Ødegaard
CM: Bruno Guimarães
Mikel Arteta has a tricky decision to make. Myles Lewis Skelly has picked up where he left off last season, when he came into the midfield and showed tremendous ability to beat the press and control possession. He hasn’t done anything to deserve being dropped, but he wasn’t quite on it at Sunderland and put in a full 90 at left back against Ipswich.
Bruno’s start to his Arsenal career got off to a slow start after an early injury setback. His match-changing performance at Sunderland coming off the bench seemed to indicate that he has gotten over the initial hump and he is ready to make his mark, further evidenced after putting in an hour against Ipswich. He is an elite player in possession and has slotted in to the midfield excellently and can no doubt be a difference maker on Saturday.
CDM: Declan Rice
Arsenal’s workhorse in the midfield was left back in London for the Ipswich match, which means he is fresh for Saturday. Recently, he has been dropping deeper to help bolster the defense and absorb pressure, snuffing out chances before they start before getting the ball forward. Brighton have scored the most goals in the league and have created the most xG, so I expect him to play in a more defensive capacity.
CAM: Martin Ødegaard
The captain’s stellar season continues. Though he didn’t score against Sunderland or in his 15 minutes against Ipswich, he has looked impeccably sharp. It will be interesting to see how Mikel Arteta decides to deploy him against Brighton, who have been aggressive in the press and don’t like to give opposition much time on the ball.
Defense: Calafiori, Gabriel, Konsa, Timber
LB: Riccardo Calafiori
The Italian unicorn has been at his best this season, due in large part to Arteta’s ability to rest and rotate him. He has been central to Arsenal’s attacking success as much as their defensive solidity. His unique deployment makes it tough for teams to plan around, and the Brighton test will be an interesting measure of both his tactical acumen and Arteta’s planning.
LCB: Gabriel Magalhães
The Brazilian defender split time with Ezri Konsa on Wednesday alongside 17 year old Marli Salmon to help shepherd the academy defender. Playing in the first half, Arsenal didn’t concede many opportunities to the hosts and kept a clean sheet. He is simply top notch, and will need to be at his best against a sharp Seagulls attack.
RCB: Ezri Konsa
Since joining Arsenal this summer, Konsa has enjoyed a successful early stint. However, he has already found himself running afoul of officials after having a penalty awarded against him (wrongly, mind you). His fiery temperament gives him an edge, but can also create some tension. He will need to rein that in on Saturday to help ensure that the hosts don’t find any joy.
RB: Jurrien Timber
Timber’s return once again coincides with Ben White’s absence. He was not involved on Wednesday but was immense in his second half performance at Sunderland, looking like the Timber we all watched lock down the right side the past two seasons. Martin Zubimendi has become the de-facto RB backup as the injury crisis has primarily hit that position, but that’s unfortunately the way it goes sometimes.
Keeper: David Raya
Every time Arsenal play with a keeper not named David Raya in the side, it’s a reminder of just how pivotal he is. Kepa was ok against Ipswich and can’t really be blamed for the 2 goals conceded, but the gulf between the two is massive.
