We have six Premier League games to enjoy on Saturday. In the late kick-off, Brighton & Hove Albion welcome table-topping Arsenal to the Amex.
The Gunners find themselves five points clear of second-place Manchester City – and seven points ahead of third-place Newcastle United.
Meanwhile, Brighton sit seventh in the table – six points outside the top four and 16 points shy of Arsenal.
Brighton returned from the World Cup break with a 3-1 victory over Southampton on Monday, thanks to goals from Adam Lallana, Solly March and Romain Perraud (OG).
Not only did the Seagulls enjoy 67% possession at St. Mary’s, but they also racked up 680 passes – more than double the number of Saints’ passes.
Brighton have now won three of their last four Premier League games, following victories over Chelsea (4-1) and Wolves (3-2) before the World Cup.
The team took a while to adapt to Roberto De Zerbi’s tactics, but they appear to be thriving after the departure of Graham Potter.
On the topic of thriving, let’s talk about Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s men are in pole position to clinch the title following a phenomenal start to the season.
Indeed, the Gunners have won 13 of their 15 Premier League games – registering one draw and one loss in the process.
Thanks to Monday’s 4-1 victory over West Ham, Arsenal head into Saturday’s clash on a nine-game unbeaten streak in the league – a run that includes eight wins.
Better still, the Gunners have kept seven clean sheets in 15 league games this term and have scored over 1.5 goals on 11 occasions.
Head-to-head: Since Brighton returned to the Premier League in 2017, they have won four of their ten meetings with Arsenal. Meanwhile, the Gunners have claimed three wins.
Across all competitions, ten of the previous 17 meetings between Brighton and Arsenal have dished up over 2.5 goals.
Team news: Brighton are currently without the injured duo of Adam Webster and Jakub Moder. Alexis Mac Allister could feature for the first time since winning the World Cup with Argentina.
Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson are long-term injury absentees for Arsenal, while Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith Rowe are doubts for Saturday.
Given that Brighton’s past four league games have dished up 17 goals (4.25 goals per game), Saturday’s clash is destined to be a high-scoring encounter.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Brighton and Arsenal will combine for over 4.5 goals – with the Gunners coming out on top.