Will the Gunners continue to be in contention on all fronts?
The island is set for a busy week of football over the next few days. The EFL Cup round of 16 is underway, and we take a look at the clash between Arsenal and Brighton, where a bet on the hosts is rewarded with odds of 1.40 at the top sports betting providers. As in the DFB Cup, this competition is also an opportunity for lower-league clubs to attract attention. Five teams that do not play in the Premier League are still in the round of the last 16. In our match, however, two representatives of the highest English league are represented.
The Gunners are currently setting the standard in the Premier League. With seven wins from nine games and a total of 22 points, the hosts are at the top of the table. The Red and Whites have been waiting for their next championship for over 20 years. The Gunners already have a four-point lead over their closest rivals, Bournemouth.
The visiting team, led by German coach Fabian Hürzeler, narrowly missed out on participating in an international competition last year. This season, things are not looking particularly good in the table. With three wins and three draws from nine games, the Blue and Whites have twelve points, which is currently enough for 13th place. With a seven-point lead, the relegation spots are not yet within reach, but the Seagulls are also in danger of losing sight of the international starting places.
Arsenal – Brighton Head-to-head record / H2H record
The two teams have met 27 times in all competitions. The Gunners have won 13 times and the Seagulls have been successful eight times. There has been no direct duel this season, and last season the teams drew 1-1 twice. This means that the Seagulls have now gone four games without a win against Arsenal. In three of those four games, fewer than 2.5 goals were scored. Although the Blue and Whites have been waiting for a win against the Gunners for two games, the visitors have won three of the last five meetings at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal’s expected lineup:
Raya – Calafiori, Gabriel, Saliba, Timber – Rice, Zubimendi, Eze – Trossard, Gyökeres, Saka
Predicted Brighton lineup:
Verbruggen – Wieffer, van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu – Baleba, Ayari – Minteh, Rutter, de Cuyper – Welbeck
Arsenal – Brighton Tip
Arsenal FC can look back on an impressive winning streak. None of their last ten competitive games have been lost. Not only are the Red and Whites sitting pretty at the top of the league, but head coach Mikel Arteta’s team has also remained unbeaten in the Champions League so far. In the Premier League, only Manchester City, Spurs, and Chelsea FC have scored more goals than the hosts. Sweden’s Gyökeres is the only London player to have found the back of the net three times, making him his team’s top scorer.
After five competitive games without defeat, the Seagulls suffered another setback last Saturday. Hürzeler’s team lost 4-2 to Manchester United, missing out on the chance to move up the table. Despite a positive shot ratio of 17:13, the Blue and Whites ended up with no points. The defense has been the Seagulls’ Achilles’ heel so far. They have had to fish the ball out of their own net fifteen times already. Only four teams have conceded more goals. On the other hand, the offense is doing well with 14 goals scored. Danny Welbeck is the most successful scorer with five goals.
In the last round, both teams confidently prevailed against lower-ranked opponents. In our view, the performance of the last few weeks clearly favors the home team for the upcoming match. The visitors’ shaky defense will have its hands full with the Gunners’ offensive power.
The Gunners have yet to lose a game in front of their own fans this season. However, four of their last five games at the Emirates Stadium have seen fewer than 2.5 goals scored.
