Brighton & Hove Albion return home for their final fixture of 2020 as they host Arsenal at the AMEX Stadium.

The Seagulls sit in 16th place in the Premier League table, just two points above the drop zone while the Gunners are one place higher on 17 points. 

Team news

Tariq Lamptey is set to miss out due to a hamstring injury while midfielder Adam Lallana came off at half-time with a groin issue against West Ham and his fitness will be assessed ahead of the match.

Arsenal will be missing Gabriel, who has tested positive for COVID-19, whilst Willian and David Luiz are feeling unwell and won't feature. Thomas Partey is to be assessed with a left thigh issue.

Predicted line-ups

Brighton & Hove Albion: Sanchez; White, Dunk, Webster; Veltman, Bissouma, Alzate, March; Maupay, Gross; Welbeck

Arsenal: Leno; Tierney, Mari, Holding, Bellerin; Xhaka, Ceballos; Martinelli, Rowe, Saka; Aubameyang

Last meeting

The last match between the sides was the first game back after Project Restart with Brighton winning 2-1 at the AMEX.

Pepe gave Arsenal a 68th minute lead with a curling effort only to see Lewis Dunk level from close range seven minutes later. 

The game looked to be headed for a draw until Neal Maupay struck with one of the most important goals in club history five minutes into extra time to put the Seagulls five points above the relegation zone.

Embed from Getty Images

Ones to watch

Danny Welbeck opened his Brighton account in the 2-1 win at Aston Villa and will be the Seagulls' main threat in attack once again having also struck against Sheffield United earlier in December.

Embed from Getty Images

Alexandre Lacazette is Arsenal's main threat and has scored six goals across all competitions. He was on target in the Gunners' first three league games as well as against Rapid Vienna in the Europa League. 

Managers' thoughts

Brighton manager Graham Potter isn't putting too much into the Seagulls' double against Arsenal despite the 2-1 victory being their only home win of 2020.

"Those games don't count for anything now, to be honest. I would say the last game against Arsenal was a big game and result for us, probably the same for them as they made some changes and went on to do well at the back end of last season.

"They're a team with lots of talent and a coach that I really like. They're going through a tough period, but the result in the last game (a 3-1 win over Chelsea) will mean they will come to the AMEX looking to secure back-to-back wins."

Despite the win over Chelsea, Mikel Arteta admitted his side have work to do still as they look to climb the table.

"I question myself every day", the former Gunners captain said. "Since I arrived here, first of all I had to analyze really well what was happening, what we can and cannot do.

"Obviously results-wise in the last few weeks we have all been suffering, I have been suffering. I feel very responsible for that. It is draining, it is frustrating, it is painful."

How to watch

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal will be shown on Prime Video with coverage beginning at 5:00pm with kick-off an hour later.

VAVEL Logo
About the author