After losing their unbeaten streak in the defeat to Manchester City in midweek, Arsenal will be looking to bounce back to form when they face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The Gunners are still pretty much in contention for a place in the Europa League, trailing fifth-placed Manchester United by just five points. However, a win against Brighton could be imperative if they are to remain in the contest.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup Vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Defence
Mikel Arteta could face a significant crisis in the defensive department following their disastrous return in midweek. Pablo Mari was subbed off due to a serious-looking injury and is presumably out for a long time. Arsenal would hope to have Sokratis Papastathopoulos back after he missed out on the last game due to an injury.
The Greek is most likely to partner Shkodran Mustafi at the heart of Arsenal’s four-man backline. Calum Chambers is out injured while David Luiz has been suspended following a pathetic defensive display against Manchester City that had seen him earn a red card. In fact, the Brazilian now faces an uncertain future at the club, with fans seemingly unhappy with his performances.
Elsewhere in defence, Arteta may opt to provide Kieran Tierney with a breather on Saturday given his recent fitness record. That should pave the way for Sead Kolasinac to start at left-back while Hector Bellerin is a guaranteed starter on the opposite. Bernd Leno is also expected to retain his place in between the sticks.
Midfield
Granit Xhaka was another player who was subbed off due to an injury. The Swiss international is likely to miss out on Saturday, meaning we could expect Dani Ceballos to return to the side. The Spaniard is set to partner Matteo Guendouzi at the base of Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1 setup.
Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil was not included in Arsenal’s squad against Manchester City. Arteta remained coy when asked about his relationship with the German. In the meantime, it is likely we’ll see Joe Willock retaining his role in the number ten slot this weekend.
Attack
Arteta will hope to inject more firepower this weekend after starting with Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka against Manchester City. This time around, we could see Alexandre Lacazette spearheading the Arsenal attack, with Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang back to his left-wing slot and Nicolas Pepe replacing Nketiah on the opposite flank.
Gabriel Martinelli, Saka and Reiss Nelson provide further options for Arteta in the final third.
