Arsenal’s early season title charge begins as they look to make a strong start to their new campaign. 

It will be the second time the Emirates faithful will see their team in the Premier League this season and they will be expecting Mike Arteta’s men to put on a show. They will be welcoming Brighton and Hove Albion who are beginning their new era under their brand new coach. 

The last two seasons have seen Arsenal narrowly miss out on glory as they have finished as the second-placed team in the division for two campaigns in a row.

Last season showed an improvement on the 2022/2023 campaign as Arsenal were even more defensively astute (many considered Arsenal to have one of, if not the best defensive setups in Europe) and they were a team that was stronger mentally. 

Last season showed that they have become a team that is ready to have a title charge and the numbers they put up as well as their points tally showed they were an even better team than their 2022/2023 iteration. 

Mikel Arteta has put together a very talented squad in his time with the Gunners and he has constructed a team with a core young enough to challenge at the top of the Premier League for the next decade. 

They finished last season with 89 points and they were just two points off the Champions, Manchester City. The last time they finished with this many points was in the 2003/2004 Invincible season when they finished with 90 points. Last season they also set the record for the most wins for the club in a Premier League season and the most goals scored in a League season as well.

“We know the demands in the league and the competition we are facing,” he began, “so all the work we’re doing is to find ways to get better and to see where the margins can be for our improvement.”

“That pain [from last season] is still there and I think it has to remain there, but after analysing the whole season with all the staff, the team has done a lot and probably in any other context we would have won the Premier League and that’s a big jump. But it’s not enough.”

“The stats show a high level of quality and a high level of consistency. You’re talking about the defensive side, the attacking side, about set pieces and that’s positive because that tells you that the team is starting to dominate many areas that are necessary to win major trophies, so we are heading in the right direction for sure,” The manager said before the League season started. 

Beating sides like Brighton is one of the things that Arsenal did so well last season (especially at home) and they will be favourites once again to be victorious. 

Brighton will face their second traditional top-six side in a row when they take on Arsenal on Saturday. For new manager Fabian Hurzeler, his tenure with the club has begun with its biggest test yet.

“I will work here the same as I have done before. I like the club’s DNA, the philosophy of the club, and the analytical and data-driven approach is special. And the history is impressive, what the club achieved. And I like the style that they want to play. It’s always with courage and I and my team will try to continue this. I hope it’s the perfect match and that we can create good things together.”

“I like the DNA, and the very analytical data-based approach,” he continued. “I like the style and playing with courage. I want to achieve big things here. I want to challenge the establishment,” the German said in his first interview with the club. 

Playing against Arsenal away from home is a prime opportunity to challenge the establishment early on and the approach Brighton takes against the Gunners will indicate to the fans how brave their manager will be against the big sides this season.  

All eyes will be on the former St Pauli manager this season as he will be required to continue the legacy left behind by the likes of Graham Potter and Robert De Zerbi who were at the helm before him. 

The fans will most probably not be expecting their club to come away from the Emirates with three points though as the Gunners have suffered only two losses in their previous 38 home games. 

Match Tickets

Tickets for the game between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion are up for sale on the websites of both clubs. 

For those who will not get tickets via the official channels, Arsenal vs Brighton tickets will be available for purchase on Seatsnet. 

As usual, a sold-out crowd is expected at the Emirates Stadium for their second home game of the new season. Brighton fans will also travel in good numbers to support their team in North London.

The game will be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, 31st of August at 12:30 PM. Fans in and around the United Kingdom where Sky Sports’ coverage reaches will be able to enjoy the game at that time.

The Premier League is broadcast to 212 total provinces in the world, which means that fans outside the United Kingdom have to tune in to one of the league’s broadcast partners in their province for the game.

Team news

The Gunners will be heading into this fixture with a clean bill of health and their squad will be at its strongest for the visit of Brighton. 

Brighton will be looking to the likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Evan Ferguson and Pervis Estupinan to be key players for the new manager in this match. 

Lineups

Arsenal will play their strongest lineup to come away with all three points against Brighton with William Saliba and Gabriel at the heart of the defence and Bukayo Saka on the flanks with Gabriel Martinelli. It remains to be seen if Kai Havertz will play as a striker or Gabriel Jesus will fill the role. 

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Rice, Havertz, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Jesus.

Brighton will line up against Arsenal with their strongest team as well with new signing Mats Weiffer starting in midfield. 

Brighton: Verbruggen ; Dunk, Webster, Weltman, Gross, Weiffer, Gilmour, Estupinan, Adingra, Mitoma, Fergurson. 

Prediction

This is a game Arsenal will be confident of winning due to the previous record of victory they had over Brighton at home last season. They beat the Seagulls 2-0 on their home turf and they will be hoping for a result like that once again. 

Arsenal 3-1 Brighton