Arsenal make their return to action on Saturday when Mikel Arteta and his side face Brighton on Saturday. The Gunners will be hoping to respond to their heavy defeat last time out, losing 3-0 to Crystal Palace.
Goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha summed up a tough evening for the side, who never got to grips with the pressing intensity of the Eagles. Keen to move on, Arteta is looking for his team to improve at the Emirates.
He said in his pre-match press conference: “Monday is gone. We’re looking forward to playing in front of our fans. We have to play better and we have to compete much better than we did on Monday.”
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With the Seagulls without a win in five, it could represent a huge opportunity to stay in touch with the top four race. A number of pundits have already given their predictions for the game and football.london has put some of those together ahead of the game.
Michael Owen - BetVictor
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen believes that Arsenal will win in what is a “massive” game for the Gunners. He said in his BetVictor blog: “It may not seem it, but this game is massive for Arsenal’s season. That defeat to Palace was a shock, but they were well-beaten. They looked in control of fourth position, so it will be interesting to see how they respond here. Given Brighton’s struggles in front of goal recently, this should be straightforward for Arsenal.”
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Mark Lawrenson - BBC Sport
BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has claimed that the Brighton clash will be “ideal” for Arsenal to get back to winning ways. He said: “Arsenal kind of reverted to type in their defeat by Crystal Palace on Monday because they didn't just lose, they got taken apart. That must be a worry for Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, but this looks like the ideal game for his side to bounce back.”
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Lewis Jones - Sky Sports
The Sky Sports pundit disagrees with the other two, believing that a draw is likely to be the end result. Discussing the game, he said: “Monday evening's poor outing at Crystal Palace for Arsenal - one I watched first-hand at Selhurst Park - wasn't a performance I had seen coming. But a closer inspection of their attacking numbers of late does paint a picture that perhaps Arsenal have been overperforming since the turn of the year.”
Score prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Brighton
