Brighton v Arsenal: Line-ups, stats and preview
Full preview of Brighton v Arsenal in the Premier League
Table of Contents
Brighton v Arsenal preview
Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has voiced his concerns over how long Arsenal can take with their feared corner routines when the Premier League leaders are in front in contests.
Hurzerler is attempting to cause an upset when the Gunners visit the Amex Stadium on Wednesday and the German believes fans are being sold short by the amount of time teams take over set-pieces.
“There are no clear rules any more,” rued Hurzerler. “How much time you can spend taking a corner, how much time you can spend setting up for throw in.
“Sometimes the referee whistles and it’s a foul. Sometimes the referee doesn’t think it’s a foul or doesn’t whistle.
“That’s why we have this topic at the moment. But for me, the main topic is a clear rule on how much time you can waste for a corner, for throw-ins, for free-kicks, because when Arsenal have a corner and they’re leading, sometimes they spend over one minute just to take a corner.”
Critics of Arsenal’s tactics cannot argue with their much-feted accumulation of 19 goals this season from set pieces, which is five more than any other side in the Premier League.
While a third consecutive victory could lift Brighton to ninth, their opponents are hoping to remain five points above second-placed Manchester City, who host fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest on the same evening (19:30 GMT).
“I’m upset that we don’t score more and that we concede,” coach Mikel Arteta replied when he was inevitably asked about Arsenal’s corners.
“We want to be the best and most dominant team in every aspect of the game, and that’s the trajectory of this team. As a club, we want the same.
“Brighton are a very, very good side, [with the] way they are coached, as well. They’ve had a sequence of years with a very similar style and players that fit what they want to do really, really well.
“They really believe in what they want to do, so they’re always very tough opponents.”
Committed to the cause ⛔️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 3, 2026
The best tackles from our win over Chelsea 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/CWUBItTJZw
Brighton v Arsenal team news
Full-back Mats Wieffer is available for Brighton despite suffering an injury during their 2-1 home win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Midfielder Yasin Ayari could return from a dislocated shoulder but centre-back Adam Webster and forward Stefanos Tzimas have long-term knee injuries.
Wideman Solly March returned from the bench against Forest after 11 months out following a second knee operation.
Hurzeler suggested players who have not been starting recently will be given a chance, with 40-year-old James Milner almost certain to be rested and Danny Welbeck another candidate to start on the bench.
That means the likes of midfielder Carlos Baleba and winger Yankuba Minteh could come in.
Arteta is hopeful that Declan Rice will be fit after being substituted during the 2-1 home win over Chelsea on Sunday with a knee issue.
Martin Odegaard is a major doubt with a knee injury and fellow midfielder Mikel Merino is recovering from surgery.
Full-back Ben White is a doubt with a knock but Kai Havertz could start after coming off the bench against the Blues following a hamstring injury.
Winger Max Dowman is available following an ankle problem and Arteta allayed concerns over goalkeeper David Raya, who suffered discomfort against Chelsea.
Brighton v Arsenal predicted line-ups
Brighton starting XI: Bart Verbruggen; Mats Wieffer, Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke, Ferdi Kadioglu; Diego Gomez, Carlos Baleba; Yankuba Minteh, Jack Hinshelwood, Kaoru Mitoma; Georginio Rutter
Arsenal starting XI: David Raya; Cristhian Mosquera, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori; Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz
Where to watch Brighton v Arsenal: TV channel, online live stream
Kick-off on Wednesday is at 19:30 (14:30 ET / 11:30 PT). Live TV coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 2 and the Discovery Plus app.
TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through Discovery Plus, which includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.
Brighton v Arsenal stats
- Two of the last nine Premier League meetings between Brighton and Arsenal have been won by the home side (3 draws, 4 away wins), although Arsenal won 2-1 earlier this season. The last time both league fixtures between the two were won by the home team was in 2017/18
- Brighton have won two of their last 11 Premier League matches against Arsenal (D3 L6), both wins coming at the Emirates Stadium, in April 2022 (2-1) and May 2023 (3-0)
- Albion’s two-game run of league victories comes after a run of one win in 13 (D6 L6). The Seagulls last won three successive league fixtures in May 2025
- They have won two of their last four Premier League home games against the team starting the day top of the table (D1 L1), both by a 3-2 scoreline. Both came after their opponents had already won the Premier League title (Man City in May 2021, Liverpool in May 2025)
- Danny Welbeck has 10 Premier League goals this season, matching his best-ever tally, set in 2024/25. One more would make Welbeck the third player to score more than 10 goals in a Premier League season for the very first time while aged 35 or older, after Gary McAllister in 1999/00 (35) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2016/17 (35)
- Arsenal lost two of their first three Premier League trips to Brighton (D1) but haven’t lost any of their five since 2020/21 (W3 D2)
- They are unbeaten in their last 19 evening (19:00 or later) league matches (W14 D5) since a 2-0 home defeat to West Ham in December 2023
- All three of those games so far in 2026 have finished level (0-0 vs Liverpool, 1-1 vs Brentford, 2-2 vs Wolves)
- Between August and December in the Premier League this season, Arsenal scored 11 goals in nine away games at an average of 1.2 per game. Since the turn of the year they’ve netted 14 in six on the road, which is an average of 2.3 per game
- Of the 20 occasions when Arsenal have gone 1-0 ahead in the Premier League this season, their opener came from either a set-piece or a penalty in 13 of them. That is the joint-most set-piece or penalty opening goals by any side in a single Premier League campaign
- Viktor Gyokeres has been directly involved in six goals in his last seven away games for Arsenal in all competitions (5 goals, 1 assist), having scored twice (no assists) in his first 12 on the road
Brighton v Arsenal prediction
Brighton
Arsenal
Brighton have drawn two of their last three league meetings with Arsenal and have made a much-needed upturn in form following a run of one win in 13 league games, but their six-match winless run in this fixture in all competitions and Arsenal’s imperative to maintain their advantage over City suggest a narrow away win this time.
What To Do If You Have A Gambling Problem
We understand that gambling can be fun, but it is always important to gamble responsibly. If you are struggling with a gambling problem, please do not hesitate to ask for help. There are people who can help you get on the road to recovery. Below, we have listed some helpful resources to help aid you on the road to recovery.
- National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133
- GamCare: https://www.gamcare.org.uk
- GambleAware: www.gambleaware.com