Arsenal vs Brighton EPL Odds & Preview
Gunners Look for Bounce Back
Two of EPL’s Most Exciting Teams Face Off
Arsenal lost their spot atop the Premier League table last Saturday when they fell 1-0 at Aston Villa. The Gunners then drew at PSV midweek in the Champions League and finished on top of their UCL group. Now, Mikel Arteta’s side host Brighton in the EPL on Sunday. Roberto de Zerbi’s Seagulls are one of the most exciting teams in the league, and this is shaping up to be a must-watch match. We’ll cover the Arsenal vs Brighton EPL odds as the Gunners look to bounce back.
Arsenal vs Brighton
Date, time:
Location: Emirates Stadium, London, England
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Head-to-Head
These teams met three times last season Brighton won twice. The Seagulls took down Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates in the EFL Cup third round and dashed the Gunners’ title hopes with a 3-0 win in May. Last December, Arsenal picked up a 4-2 win at the AMEX. A look at the Premier League stats in this fixture shows that the road team is unbeaten in the last five meetings. Brighton have lost just one of the previous five matches between the sides as well.
Arsenal Lose EPL Lead
Mikel Arteta picked a lineup composed mostly of reserves for Tuesday’s Champions League clash at PSV. With the group already clinched, Arteta made eight changes from Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Aston Villa. The Gunners managed to draw 1-1 as Eddie Nketiah scored for Arsenal. With a busy holiday fixture period coming up, the rest could prove to be crucial for Arsenal’s stars.
Last weekend, Arsenal did create chances at Aston Villa but simply weren’t good enough in front of goal. Arsenal’s captain, Martin Odegaard, missed a number of chances, and he hasn’t had his best season in 2023-24. Kai Havertz does appear to be adjusting to life in North London after a slow start, though. Even without a win in their last two matches, Arsenal will continue to be one of the most popular soccer picks. Declan Rice has been immense in midfield this season, the Arsenal backline has the joint-best defensive record in the EPL, and the frontline causes nightmares for opponents. The Gunners enter the weekend in second place in the Premier League, one point behind Liverpool.
At least in the EPL, Arsenal have had a balanced scoring attack. Six players have scored three Premier League goals or more, and Nketiah and Bukayo Saka currently lead with five. While Emile Smith Rowe returned to action on Tuesday, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira, Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber are all out injured. For Sunday’s match, the Arsenal vs Brighton EPL odds currently price the hosts as -215 favorites.
Brighton Clinch Europa League Group
Brighton hosted Marseille on Thursday in their Europa League group stage finale. The Seagulls didn’t concede a single shot on target and Joao Pedro came through for Brighton once again. The Brazilian forward scored in the 88th minute as the AMEX erupted, and Brighton came away with a 1-0 win. With the victory, Brighton clinched their Europa League group in their maiden UEFA campaign. They’ll advance directly to the round of 16 in February, which is a massive achievement for them.
Pedro is the leading scorer in the Europa League with six goals so far. In the Premier League, Brighton drew 1-1 with Burnley last weekend. Bettors should note that both teams have scored in all 16 of the Seagulls’ EPL matches this season. All three of their shutouts have come in the Europa League. The Premier League odds currently price Brighton at +1200 to make the top four for the first time in their history.
Only Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City have scored more goals than Brighton in the Premier League this season. The Seagulls’ matches have averaged the most goals in the league this season, with 3.8 per game. While Pedro is Brighton’s leading scorer in the UEL, Evan Ferguson leads the team with six EPL goals. Roberto de Zerbi, who has done an excellent job as Brighton manager, has a bunch of players out for this match. Tariq Lamptey, Ansu Fati, Adam Webster, Pervis Estupiñan, Solly March, Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso are all injured.
Match Analysis & Odds
The Arsenal vs Brighton EPL odds currently price the Gunners as -215 favorites for this match. Brighton will be running on just two days of rest after their Europa League triumph. With short rest and a long injury list, this is a match that Arsenal will feel confident about winning. Arsenal -1, -1.5 sits at even odds as Brighton +1, +1.5 comes in at -120 odds.
The Seagulls are +535 underdogs for this one but they’ve often gotten the better of Arsenal in the last few years. Still, the Gunners are unbeaten at the Emirates this season and they’ll be motivated to get three points to stay in the thick of the title race. After resting his key guys, expect Mikel Arteta to start all of Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus here.
Bettors can take a draw at +370 odds and given the circumstances, De Zerbi and Brighton would be quite content with one. Even though Brighton’s matches have quite consistently been shootouts, Arsenal do have the best defense in the league by expected goals conceded. Here, under three goals are priced at -115 odds.
