As U2 famously told us, “nothing changes on New Year’s Day.” Actually, the opposite is true, when it comes to Arsenal FC, who beat Brentford 3-1 on New Year’s Day. Kai Havertz missed out on that game with an unspecified illness. However, Havertz will be back to full fitness for the match at Brighton & Hove Albion tomorrow.
Elsewhere Jurrien Timber picked up his fifth yellow card in that win, and that means suspension due to accumulation.
Arsenal at Brighton & Hove Albion FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Jan 4, 5:30 pm, Falmer Stadium, Brighton, UK
PL Form, Standing: Arsenal DDWWW 2nd, 39 pts Brighton DLDDD 10th, 27 pts
Arsenal Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 54% Draw 24% Brighton 22%
Gunners Team News
So Timber will have to sit out this weekend. So indeed things do change on New Year’s Day. With Timber suspended, Thomas Partey will fill in at right back. Otherwise the team news remains the same, especially in regards to the long-term injury absentees: Ben White, Raheem Sterling, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Bukayo Saka.
We can expect to maybe see summer signing Riccardo Calafiori more involved in this one.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor 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 currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.