Arsenal travel to the south coast to face Brighton and Hove Albion in a match which could massively dent the Gunner’s title hopes if they aren’t careful.

A win for Arsenal would make it only the second time that the Gunners have completed a league double over the Seagulls since their promotion to the Premier League in 2017.

The last time these teams met Arsenal came out on top in a tightly fought 2-0 win for the Gunners, with goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.

Back to winning ways ❤️ pic.twitter.com/doJd1x4Kpx

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 17, 2023

The head to head record between the two sides overall is fairly level since Brighton’s promotion with it favouring Brighton more than Arsenal overall, with Arsenal winning five and Brighton winning six over the last 7 years.

Usually an away game would be perceived as harder, however, between these two teams, it is actually better for both sides away from home with only two of Brighton’s six wins actually occurring in Sussex.

However, Mikel Arteta will be having nightmares after last season’s match against Brighton in the final months of the season.

Roberto De Zerbi may have only gotten the better of the Spaniard once, but it was enough to absolutely destroy Arsenal’s title hopes, when Brighton beat Arsenal 3-0 last May.

Since that match Arsenal have only improved further, while Brighton have plateaued somewhat compared to last season.

With key players like Solly March and Kairu Mitoma still out for the season Brighton will have to make the most of what they have to stand a chance against this Arsenal side.

Joao Pedro is now back with the Brighton squad after a short stint away through injury, where he missed Brighton’s exit from the Europa League at the hands of Roma.

The Brazilian is the top scorer for De Zerbi’s side this season despite his time out and he has proved to be worth the gamble Brighton made in the summer.

Another player Arsenal may have to look out for is none other than one of their former players in Danny Welbeck. The former England International scored last weekend at Anfield and is an extremely underrated threat in Brighton’s attack.

With the return of Joao Pedro, the responsibility will be less on his shoulders than it was against Liverpool, but with two goals already against Arsenal since he left, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he added to that tally.

Arsenal find themselves in the best position squad wise all season. Wednesday night’s 2-0 win against Luton Town gave Arteta a rare chance to rotate his side and rest key players like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Now the only player missing from their training is Jurrien Timber who’s long awaited return to the Arsenal matchday squad may be nearly over after his ACL injury.

ALL Arsenal first-team players are present in training today EXCEPT Jurriën Timber. 🏃 [@JamesGreenInUK] pic.twitter.com/ievxZzIOPv

— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) April 2, 2024

After getting a clean sheet at the Etihad last weekend and considering the overall form of Arsenal, it would be ridiculous to predict anything other than a win for the Gunners. Which is why I will be predicting a 2-0 win for Mikel Arteta’s side.