Arsenal vs. Brighton: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Arsenal can ill-afford anything but victory against Brighton with two title hopefuls on their tail.

Arsenal have already beaten Brighton on home soil this term. / Visionhaus/Stephen Bardens/Getty Images

Arsenal are aiming to maintain their lead at the summit of the Premier League when they host Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday.

The Gunners edged to victory at Everton last weekend courtesy of Viktor Gyökeres’s first-half penalty and the win ensured they topped the table by two points at Christmas. Only 17 of the 33 league leaders on Dec. 25 have gone on to win the title, however, and a slip-up against the Seagulls will have Arsenal fearing the worst.

Mikel Arteta’s men won’t be short on confidence ahead of Brighton’s visit, especially considering they have already triumphed in this fixture this term. Goals from Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka secured a 2–0 win in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup back in October.

Brighton appear unlikely to redeem themselves for their cup defeat at the Emirates, with Fabian Hürzeler’s men in underwhelming form. Four games without victory has seen them slide down the standings and they’re currently struggling in mid-table, although upcoming duels with West Ham United and Burnley is where they will be targeting a turnaround.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s preview of the clash in north London.

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What Time Does Arsenal vs. Brighton Kick Off?

• Location: London, England
• Stadium: Emirates Stadium
• Date: Saturday, Dec. 27
• Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT
• Referee: John Brooks
• VAR: Paul Tierney

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Arsenal vs. Brighton Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

• Arsenal: 3 wins
• Brighton: 0 wins
• Draws: 2

• Last meeting: Arsenal 2–0 Brighton (Oct. 29, 2025)—Carabao Cup

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Current Form (All Competitions)

Arsenal	Brighton
Arsenal 1–1 (8–7p) Crystal Palace - 23/12/25	Brighton 0–0 Sunderland - 20/12/25
Everton 0–1 Arsenal - 20/12/25	Liverpool 2–0 Brighton - 13/12/25
Arsenal 2–1 Wolves - 13/12/25	Brighton 1–1 West Ham - 07/12/25
Club Brugge 0–3 Arsenal - 10/12/25	Brighton 3–4 Aston Villa - 03/12/25
Aston Villa 2–1 Arsenal - 06/12/25	Nottingham Forest 0–2 Brighton - 30/11/25

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How to Watch Arsenal vs. Brighton on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV channel/live stream
United Kingdom	Not televised—audio coverage available on BBC Radio 5 Live, talkSPORT
United States	USA Network, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, NBC Sports App, nbcsports.com, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada
Mexico	FOX One

• MORE: Full list of Premier League broadcasters around the world

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Arsenal Team News

Arsenal will be without Gabriel once again. / Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Arsenal are still missing three key members of their defence, chiefly Gabriel at centre back. With Cristhian Mosquera also absent, Piero Hincapié will start once more against Brighton, while Ben White’s fitness issues mean another guaranteed appearance for Jurriën Timber at right back.

Max Dowman is the only confirmed absentee in the forward line, with Kai Havertz having recently returned to first-team training following a knee injury that has seen him sidelined since the opening day of the season. He’s unlikely to feature against Brighton, however, and will likely be eased back into things.

Arteta is expected to name an identical team to the one that triumphed on a first ever trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

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Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton

Arsenal could name the same team that beat Everton. / FotMob

Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Brighton (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapié, Calafiori; Ødegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyökeres, Trossard.

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Brighton Team News

Danny Welbeck will be welcomed back into the forward line. / Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

There is positive news in the fitness department for Brighton, with Danny Welbeck available to face his former employers after a back injury and Jan Paul van Hecke having recovered from illness in time to face the Gunners.

Lewis Dunk and Diego Gómez return from their one-game bans for picking up five yellow cards, while Mats Wieffer could be available against Arsenal despite coming off at half time during last weekend’s goalless draw with Sunderland.

However, Brighton do have four absentees for the journey to north London. Carlos Baleba is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Adam Webster, Solly March and Stefanos Tzimas are all sidelined with injuries.

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Brighton Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal

Brighton have some important players returning. / FotMob

Brighton predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadıoğlu; Ayari, Hinshelwood; Minteh, Gruda, Gómez; Rutter.

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Arsenal vs. Brighton Score Prediction

Arsenal’s imperious defence has been on show in recent outings and the Gunners will fancy their chances of a 10th Premier League clean sheet against Brighton, who have scored just once across their previous three matches.

The Seagulls are unlikely to sit in a low block and frustrate their hosts, which will play into Arsenal’s hands, with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard primed to take advantage of high turnovers and space around the penalty area.

This should be a relatively comfortable win for the league leaders.

Prediction: Arsenal 2–0 Brighton

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