Dikkasmedia
Arsenal will travel to the Amex Stadium on Saturday to face Brighton & Hove Albion as the Premier League champions look to maintain their perfect start to the new campaign.
The Gunners have won their opening four Premier League matches and currently sit at the top of the table with 12 points. Another victory against Brighton would give Mikel Arteta’s side a fifth consecutive league win as they continue their title defence.
Brighton, meanwhile, have made an encouraging start of their own. The Seagulls have collected seven points from their opening four league games and come into the match after a 5-0 victory over Coventry City. They also secured a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup during the week.
The match also brings renewed attention to the relationship between Arteta and Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler. The two managers were involved in a disagreement following Brighton’s meeting with Arsenal last season, when Hurzeler criticised Arsenal’s approach during the game. He later apologised to Arteta by text.
Arteta said ahead of Saturday’s match that the disagreement was now in the past and that he had “huge respect” for Hurzeler and the work being done at Brighton.
Arsenal could also have defensive selection decisions to make. William Saliba remains sidelined, while Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera have been listed as doubts. Jurrien Timber is also being monitored after returning from a lengthy injury absence.
Brighton have their own injury concerns, particularly in attack, with Kaoru Mitoma, Yankuba Minteh, Evan Ferguson and Stefanos Tzimas among those unavailable or facing fitness issues.
The match kicks off at 3pm BST on Saturday, September 19, at the Amex Stadium. Arsenal will be seeking another three points before the international break, while Brighton will look to use home advantage to challenge the league leaders.
