Who: Brighton vs Arsenal What: English Premier League Where: Amex Stadium, Brighton in United Kingdom When: Saturday, September 19, at 3pm (14:00 GMT) How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will have all the build-up to our live text commentary stream from 11:00 GMT. Premier League holders Arsenal head to Brighton on Saturday with a chance to extend their lead at the top of the table to three points. Second-placed Manchester City, who have also won four from four to start the new English top-flight season, entertain Sunderland on Sunday. Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the game, which produced a feisty finale in the clubs’ last meeting.
Mikel Arteta has made peace with Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler following their row last season as the pair go head-to-head again on Saturday. Hurzeler criticised Arteta’s style of play during a 1-0 loss to the Gunners at the Amex Stadium in March. The German said “only one team tried to play football” and accused Arsenal of “making their own rules”. With the champions heading back to Brighton in the top flight this weekend, the spotlight will be fixed on the touchline to see if the spat lingers.
Hurzeler refused to back down this week when quizzed on his comments from last season. “I think it’s very important that in football there are opinions,” he said. “I will definitely always share my opinion if I am asked. But, in the end, I congratulate Arsenal for being deserved champions. They deserved it.” Speaking on Friday, Arteta insisted there was no bad blood over Hurzeler’s blast. “That’s all done. That’s all in the past,” the Arsenal manager told reporters. “I have huge respect for Fabian, and what he’s done and what Brighton has done as a club. “It’s just remarkable, and tomorrow is going to be a beautiful game to watch, I’m sure.” Arsenal have made a flying start to their Premier League title defence, with four successive victories taking them to the top of the table.
The north Londoners also won their opening Champions League match against Napoli and booked their place in the League Cup fourth round on Tuesday with a win at Ipswich. Teenage playmaker Max Dowman starred against Ipswich in his first appearance this season, scoring twice to underline why he is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League. The 16-year-old has made his case for a bigger role in Arteta’s plans after being an unused substitute in the opening weeks. But when asked if the teenager has been knocking on his door to play, Arteta said: “The best way to knock on the door is to do it on the pitch, not in the office. “Then you just leave out the arguments.
When a player delivers constantly on the pitch, every single day in training, that’s the best way, that’s the best signal for the manager.” Including the Community Shield against Manchester City, Arsenal have won seven consecutive matches. Another victory on the south coast would equal the club’s 123-year record for their best start to a campaign. “We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level. So, to win seven, it tells a story,” Arteta said. “After the World Cup, there were a lot of unknowns about how the players and the team were going to react. We didn’t have any time with them to work together. “But I said from day one, the attitude and what I was seeing, I was really impressed with.
Then you have to put it down to performances.” Arteta is yet to sign a contract extension, with talks ongoing for several months, but the Spaniard is relaxed about the situation. “I think we are all very much aligned; whenever the time is right, we’ll get that done. There is nothing to be concerned about,” he said. The Seagulls last beat the Gunners on May 14, 2023, when they won 3-0 at Emirates Stadium in the league. Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav and Pervis Estupinan scored the goals in the second half.
Opta’s supercomputer has given Arsenal a 57 percent chance of winning, while Brighton have been offered a 29 percent chance. This will be the 36th meeting between the clubs, with Arsenal winning 20 of the encounters and Brighton emerging victorious on eight of the occasions. Brighton are expected to revert to the side that beat Coventry in their last Premier League outing. Jaouen Hadjam sustained a knock in the 3-2 League Cup win against Manchester United on Wednesday.
Femi Azeez, Evan Ferguson, Zadok Yohanna, Mats Wieffer, Jack Hinshelwood (unspecified), Kaoru Mitoma, Yankuba Minteh and Stefanos Tzimas all remain part of a lengthy injury list. Verbruggen; Kadioglu, Dunk, Vuskovic, Boscagli; Gross, Ayari; Gomez, Yalcouye, De Cuyper; Kostoulas Jurrien Timber missed the midweek League Cup win against Ipswich Town as a precaution and is set to be available for the trip to Brighton. Piero Hincapie, Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera are all doubts, however, while William Saliba is still sidelined with a back injury. Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Guimaraes, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz
