Arsenal vs Brighton: Goals, Cards, and Eyes on Europe

It’s title-chasers vs European-chasers in our Arsenal vs Brighton bet builder tips article from Matthew O’Regan.

An intriguing Premier League battle awaits. With both already qualifying for the knockouts of their respective European competitions, we could see mass rotation from Mikel Arteta and Roberto De Zerbi, leading towards a barn-storming clash on Sunday.

Arsenal vs Brighton Bet Builder Tips, Opta Stats, Player Props

• Both Teams to Score
• Over 2.5 Match Goals
• Both Teams 2+ Cards

Bet Builder odds: 3.60

England, Premier League, Sunday December 17th, 14:00 (UK)

Odds via bet365 as at 12:00 Tuesday, December 12th, 2023 Odds may now differ.

---

Arsenal vs Brighton Stats: Head-turning Seagulls scoring streak

• Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has been involved in 13 goals in his last 11 appearances at the Emirates Stadium in all competitions, scoring eight and assisting five. The only game in which he hasn’t registered a goal involvement in this run was in a 5-0 win over Sheffield United in October.
• Brighton’s Pascal Groß has been involved in five goals in his last four Premier League appearances, scoring one and assisting four. His assist for Simon Adingra’s goal against Burnley last time out was his 40th overall in the competition, the second German to reach that many after Mesut Özil (54).
• Since losing 3-0 to Brighton in May, Arsenal are unbeaten in 12 home games in all competitions (W10 D2), scoring at least twice in 11 of those matches.
• Brighton have scored in their last 32 Premier League games and conceded in each of their last 20. It’s their longest ever scoring streak in their league history, while it’s their joint longest run without a clean sheet (also 20 games between September 1947 and March 1948).
• The home side has won just two of the last 10 Premier League meetings between Arsenal and Brighton (D3 L5), with the Seagulls winning 2-1 at Amex Stadium in June 2020, and Arsenal winning 2-0 at the Emirates in May 2021.

---

Arsenal vs Brighton Bet Builder Tips: Entertaining Emirates

Both Teams To Score

There has been a stark contrast between Arsenal’s defensive record at home and on their travels. Away from home, Arsenal have kept four clean sheets, compared to just two at home, with one of them coming against the lowest scorers in the league, Sheffield United.

The Gunners have only kept one clean sheet in their last six league games—a 1-0 win at Brentford, in which Arteta’s side rode their luck massively. The chopping and changing of goalkeepers seems to have had an adverse effect on Arsenal’s defensive capabilities.

Despite boasting the joint best defensive record in the league thus far with only 15 goals conceded, BTTS has landed in 6/8 of league games at the Emirates. Step up Brighton and Hove Albion, who boast a spectacular record for BTTS.

The Seagulls have seen BTTS land in all 16 games this season, boasting a phenomenal record for this metric. In fact, their last 20 league games have seen both teams to score. Roberto De Zerbi’s philosophy is attack first, and this has been evident, with Brighton scoring and conceding away at both Manchester clubs and at home to lowly clubs such as Luton, Sheffield United, and Burnley.

With 6/8 Arsenal home games seeing over 2.5 goals and Brighton seeing it 16/16 in total, BTTS presents value at the Emirates

Over 2.5 goals

Leg 1 and leg 2 go hand in hand in this bet builder, with both teams fancying their chances of a positive result.

Arsenal top the home charts for over 2.5 goals, with 7/8 games at the Emirates seeing over 2.5 goals. The one game that saw ‘Unders’ was the tight and cagey 1-0 victory over title rivals Manchester City.

6/7 of Brighton away games have seen over 2.5 goals, with the exception of a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park against Everton. With 15 goals scored and 16 conceded away from home, Albion’s away games are averaging 4.43. Arsenal home games see an average of 3.5 goals per game.

In terms of head-to-head, the last four games between them have seen over 2.5 goals. Brighton travelled to the Emirates twice in 2022, defeating the Gunners 1-2 in April in the Premier League before dispatching them 1-3 in the Carabao Cup. New Year’s Eve saw Arsenal travel to the South Coast, defeating Brighton 2-4, before De Zerbi’s side got their revenge, demolishing Arsenal 0-3 at the Emirates in May to derail the Gunners title charge.

Both Teams to Receive 2+ cards

Arsenal ranks the lowest for cards per game in the Premier League (1.44 per game), but I won’t let this deter me. In their games against other ‘big six’ sides as well as Newcastle and Aston Villa, the Gunners tend to pick up more cards than average.

These games have seen splits of 2-3 (Manchester United) 3-4 (Tottenham), 2-3 (Manchester City) 3-3 (Chelsea), 5-1 (Newcastle), and 4-2 (Aston Villa). With Brighton pushing near the top of the table too, expect similar numbers to these in a tight game.

Arsenal also draw 2.63 yellows per game (3.00 at home) and are facing off against a Brighton team that picks up the most cards away from home.

On their travels, the Seagulls average 3.71 cards, picking up 2+ cards in 10/11 away games in all competitions, with the exception of receiving just one card in Athens.

Brighton also tops the league for away cards drawn with 3.71 yet again. De Zerbi’s side have seen their opponents pick up 2+ cards in 9/11 games in all competitions when away. In terms of the Premier League, both teams to receive 2+ cards has landed in all seven away games.

---

SAFER GAMBLING

At bettingexpert, we always take a safe approach to gambling. We’ll never bet more than we can afford or chase losses. For more advice, head to our Safer Gambling hub.