Who: Brighton vs Arsenal
What: English Premier League
Where: AMEX Stadium, Brighton, United Kingdom
When: 12:30pm (12:30 GMT) on Saturday
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Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must “flip that coin” in their quest to be crowned champions of England following two agonising near-misses.
The second-placed Gunners, runners-up to Manchester City over the past two seasons, are six points behind Arne Slot’s rampaging Liverpool, who have a game in hand, having played half their league fixtures.
Arsenal beat Brentford 3-1 in their last match on Wednesday but stumbles in October and early November mean the Gunners are playing catch-up and Arteta on Friday pleaded for consistency from his men, who travel to face mid-table Brighton on Saturday.
“We have to show the same level of consistency and a bit more because the last year, we have been the best team in the league, broken various records and still haven’t won a major trophy, so something is missing,” said the Spaniard.
“It’s going to be very thin, small details, you can pick up certain games and situations. But at the end, we’re so close and we just have to flip that coin to the other side to make it happen.
“That’s only going to happen if we do what we have to do and what we can control. The rest is out of our hands.”
Arsenal are bidding to win their first Premier League title since 2004 but are set to be without Bukayo Saka until March after the England winger suffered a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace last month.
“There’s not one player that’s going to play nine games in a row in that position, it’s impossible,” said Arteta.
He added: “We need more threat, we need more players fit and rotation in that unit. In relation to that, we will make decisions and as well, players’ performances – that’s simple.”
The Arsenal boss said he was unsure whether the club would strengthen in the January transfer window.
“The focus is on the players that we have,” he said. “When something is in the market that we can afford and believe is going to have a real impact on the team, we have to be open to that possibility.
“We have the ability to change the squad in the windows, but at the moment, the focus is on what we have.”
Arsenal’s win over Brentford closes the gap on Liverpool to six points #FestiveFixtures pic.twitter.com/JAIzpRDlkG
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 1, 2025
Brighton team news
Danny Welbeck and Evan Ferguson both remain absent through injuries, while the new signing, Diego Gomez, is still gaining match fitness.
Adam Webster returns to the squad following a thigh injury, while Jack Hinshelwood is also set to feature, but Pervis Estupinan faces a late fitness test following illness.
Predicted Brighton line-up:
Bart Verbruggen, Lamptey, Tariq van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Igor Julio; Carlos Baleba, Yasin Ayari; Brajan Gruda, Julio Enciso, Simon Adingra; Joao Pedro.
Arsenal team news
Arsenal welcome back their top scorer, Kai Havertz, from an illness.
Jurrien Timber misses out due to a one-match ban, with Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu all still sidelined through injury.
Predicted Arsenal line-up: David Raya; Jakub Kiwior, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori; Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Mikel Merino; Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.
Head-to-head
Brighton have failed to win in their last four home matches against Arsenal with the Gunners winning three of those games.
The Seagulls have claimed victory in three of their last seven meetings with the North Londoners – all of those victories came at Emirates Stadium.
Next stop: Matchweek 20 pic.twitter.com/bhpb6jbKzT
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 2, 2025
