Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal

Premier League pacesetters Arsenal take a daunting trip to the AMEX Stadium to encounter European hopefuls Brighton & Hove Albion in an exciting New Year’s Eve showdown.

An emphatic 3-1 victory at rock-bottom Southampton on Boxing Day helped Brighton put an underwhelming League Cup exit to third-placed Charlton Athletic firmly behind and return to winning ways in the Premier League after a 2-1 home loss to Aston Villa in November. With fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur six points away and the ‘Seagulls’ boasting a game in hand, the faint Champions League hopes are still alive, though it’ll take something special to get that bid over the line. Brighton’s problems with inconsistent performances at home provide cause for concern, with Roberto De Zerbi’s men picking up only three wins across their seven Premier League outings at the AMEX (D3, L2). In fact, they’ve gone winless in three of their last four such fixtures (D1, L2), netting over 1.5 goals only once.

Meanwhile, Arsenal came from a 1-0 halftime deficit to dismantle West Ham United 3-1 on Boxing Day and maintain a five-point lead on second-placed Manchester City. In addition to only losing once in their 15 Premier League matches this season (W13, D1), the ‘Gunners’ have won each of the last four on the spin via an aggregate score of 11-1. What’s even more encouraging is that Mikel Arteta’s men have kept a league-high six clean sheets across their eight Premier League road trips this season, as many as they’d managed in 19 games on hostile turf in 2021/22. However, the AMEX has not been a happy hunting ground for Arsenal, considering they’ve only won once on their five top-flight visits to this venue (D2, L2), courtesy of a narrow 1-0 triumph in December 2020.