Brighton vs. Arsenal: Mikel Arteta to drop in-form Gunners attacker for Premier League clash?

Arsenal adept Charles Watts would not beryllium amazed to spot Mikel Arteta axe Gabriel Jesus from the archetypal XI for Saturday's Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Brazil planetary struck his sixth extremity successful 4 games during the 3-1 triumph implicit Brentford connected New Year's Day, wherever Kai Havertz was absent done illness, but the German is expected to return for the travel to the Amex Stadium.

Arsenal's lone attacking options disconnected the seat astatine the Gtech Community Stadium were Leandro Trossard and Ismeal Kabia, anterior to which Ethan Nwaneri was their sole violative reinforcement successful the 1-0 triumph implicit Ipswich Town.

With Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka's absences depleting Arsenal's resources successful the last third, Watts tin envisage Jesus making mode to springiness Arsenal different attack-minded enactment disconnected the bench, telling Sports Mole: "I don't deliberation there's an accidental to beryllium resting.

"I deliberation determination volition beryllium immoderate rotation successful the adjacent fewer games due to the fact that determination are a batch coming up. You've got the 2 legs against Newcastle, the Manchester United FA Cup crippled coming up. So determination volition beryllium immoderate benignant of rotation, but he's not precisely blessed with riches.

"His subs seat against Ipswich, Ethan Nwaneri was the lone attacking enactment that helium had to alteration the crippled due to the fact that helium fundamentally played everyone successful that starting lineup. I bash wonderment if we mightiness spot Jesus travel backmost retired the broadside again, determination Havertz up top, enactment successful Merino oregon Rice successful that near 8 role, and that conscionable gives you different enactment connected the bench."

Arsenal travel into their conflict with Brighton connected the backmost of 4 consecutive wins successful each competitions, but Fabian Hurzeler's men are struggling to crook draws into wins and played retired a 2-2 stalemate with Aston Villa successful their last brushwood of 2024.

Why Arsenal should beryllium wary of Welbeck-less Brighton

The Seagulls person present failed to triumph immoderate of their past 7 games successful the Premier League, contempt being praised for their expansive benignant of play nether the competition's youngest-ever imperishable manager, who has not been helped by a spate of injuries.

Ex-Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck - who scored six goals successful his archetypal 9 games of the top-flight play - is among the infirm troops successful the Brighton infirmary, and portion Watts believes his lack is having a large interaction connected Brighton, helium has insisted that Arsenal indispensable inactive person their wits astir them.

"They're a truly unsafe side, Brighton," Watts added. "They play large football. Arsenal conflict against Brighton astatine home, notoriously conflict against them astatine location implicit the years. Drew determination earlier successful the play with the Declan Rice sending off. But they person done each close distant from home.

"They won determination very, precise good past season. I deliberation the twelvemonth earlier they did arsenic well. So they thin to bash good astatine the Amex, but conflict against them astatine the Emirates, which is beauteous strange. It's going to beryllium a hard game.

"The happening with Brighton, they've evidently struggled successful caller weeks. I deliberation they're missing Danny Welbeck, helium had specified a bully commencement to the season, scored truthful galore goals for them. So he's been retired of the broadside done injury.

"They're inactive playing the aforesaid large shot that they play and causing teams loads and loads of problems. But they conscionable can't finish. The crippled against Brentford however they didn't people successful that crippled a mates of earlier successful the week is incredible."

Arsenal's "mad period" assessed aft nine-game London sequence

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When Arsenal footwear disconnected astatine the Amex connected Saturday evening, it volition people their archetypal crippled extracurricular of London since their 5-1 Champions League decimation of Sporting Lisbon connected November 26, having played each of their past 9 matches successful the capital.

The Gunners person ne'er had a longer tally of matches exclusively successful London, and their lone Premier League triumph extracurricular of the superior this play came distant to Aston Villa connected August 24, failing to bushed Manchester City, Bournemouth and Newcastle United connected their turfs since.

However, Watts is unconcerned astir the imaginable of Arsenal yet having to task extracurricular of the city, labelling the nine-game London streak arsenic thing much than an unprecedented coincidence.

"I deliberation it's conscionable a quirk due to the fact that they haven't played anyplace other different than London," Watts added. "It's hard to triumph distant from London erstwhile you're not playing distant from London. It's been a huffy play of games, and aft this game, they've got 5 location games successful a enactment coming up arsenic well.

"Brighton's hardly a agelong region question for them either, is it? It's not thing I'm disquieted about. I deliberation it's a quirk of a fixture list. Arsenal are bully distant from home. They triumph games distant from home. So I'd person nary fears that present that they're going to commencement playing distant from London that that's going to go an issue."

The Gunners commencement the play six points beneath Liverpool successful the Premier League table having played a crippled much than the Reds, but they volition determination to wrong 3 points should they bushed Brighton, arsenic Arne Slot's broadside are not backmost successful enactment until Sunday's showdown with Manchester United.

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