Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Freddie Ljungberg’s spell as Arsenal interim boss didn’t quite go as planned as they twice had to come from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw away to relegation-battlers Norwich.
Ljungberg’s Gunners will look to pick up a much-needed victory as he makes his Emirates debut against another newly-promoted side in Brighton, who currently find themselves 16th in the Premier League table.
After a bright stretch of games last October, the Seagulls have suffered through three consecutive defeats due to a very difficult stretch of games.
But Brighton have picked up some good results against the Gunners in recent meetings, and the Premier League 2019 betting odds for this match indicates that Graham Potter’s side has a decent chance to pick up another positive result at the Emirates.
Talking Points
Arsenal’s defence still leaky
One of the big factors in Unai Emery’s downfall in Arsenal was his inability to patch things up at the back. The Gunners have been leaking goals for most of the season and have gone 10 matches in all competitions without keeping a clean sheet.
Once again, they struggled at the back against Norwich, who had 15 shots and eight shots on target against the North London side. If not for a fine performance from keeper Bernd Leno, they likely would’ve slumped to another defeat.
After that Norwich match, Arsenal have now conceded two goals in four of their last five Premier League matches. Unsurprisingly, they have gone winless in their last six (four draws, two defeats).
After a slight dry spell, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang appears to be back to scoring goals. The lanky forward scored both of Arsenal’s goals against Norwich, although he was slightly fortunate to retake a penalty which was saved by Tim Krul. He also found the net in their disappointing Europa League defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt.
One of Ljungberg’s most notable moves upon taking over was reinserting Mesut Ozil into the starting XI. However, it remains to be seen how effective the German will be in more of a wide role.
Brighton’s brutal stretch
It’s been a rough last few weeks for Brighton. After a stretch of three wins in four, their recent Premier League 2019 results have seen them drop each of their last three. To be fair, it was quite a brutal stretch at Manchester United, home vs. Leicester, and away to Liverpool.
Few would fault the newly-promoted side for not picking up a single point out of those matches. Although, they had a golden opportunity to pick up a point at Anfield after Liverpool went down to 10 men, but they were unable to capitalise.
It would be a much-needed boost for the side’s morale to finally put their losing skid to an end at the Emirates. And given Arsenal’s current form, that’s well within the realm of possibility.
Although, the Seagulls have struggled away from home this season. Since winning their season opener at Watford, they have gone winless in their last six away matches, with five defeats.
Just like many newly promoted sides, Brighton have had some trouble finding the back of the net. They’ve scored just 16 goals in 14 Premier League matches thus far. Neal Maupay has had a respectable tally of four goals, but they need more production from their other attacking weapons.
Lewis Dunk has scored the team’s last two goals — both away from home — but they can’t keep relying on the centre-back for goals.
History
Brighton have surprisingly gotten the better of Arsenal in their last few meetings. They held the Gunners to 1-1 draws in both of their fixtures last season. Both times, Arsenal went ahead inside 10 minutes through Aubameyang, but the Seagulls would go on to equalise.
Brighton also picked up a 2-1 win over Arsenal at home. On that occasion, they were the ones who struck early through a Lewis Dunk goal, while Glenn Murray added a second. The Gunners pulled one back through Auba once again, but it wasn’t enough. That was Brighton’s lone Premier League win to date over the Gunners.
Betting Tip
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Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion | Arsenal 1X2 @ 1.61 |
| December 06, 04:15 (GMT+8) |
The SBOBET odds for this match are somewhat surprising. Arsenal are favourites at 1.61 to get the home win, while Brighton are only 4.90 and a draw is at 4.10.
I just don’t see Arsenal’s winless run continuing past this game. There’s just too much talent at Ljungberg’s disposal for them not to get all three points at home against a newly-promoted side like Brighton.
With Aubameyang back in form and Ozil liable to do something special, the Gunners’ firepower should be too much for the Seagulls to handle.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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