Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was wise to rotate his squad in midweek, during the dead rubber UEFA Champions League group stage clash against PSV Eindhoven. Because now the Gunners have a pretty big Premier League clash on their hands this Sunday, when Brighton & Hove Albion come to North London.
The Seagulls are adjusting to life with the added responsibility of European football, and the toll it can take on the players, for the first time in club history.
Brighton & Hove Albion at Arsenal FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Dec. 17, 2pm, The Emirates, London, UK
PL Form, Standing: Arsenal LWWWW 2nd, 36 pts Brighton DWLWD 8th, 26 pts
Arsenal Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 65% Draw 20% Brighton 15%
They currently sit eighth in the table, which means they have some work to do, in order to retain continental competition next season. As for Arsenal, they are part of the three horse league title race, alongside Liverpool and Manchester City.
If Aston Villa are still hanging around in the New Year, we’ll have to call it a four way league title race.
As Arteta rested some of the starters in midweek, we’ll see them come back into the first team here.
Arsenal Starting 11 Prediction vs Brighton
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz; Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.
