Brighton’s south-coast ground will host an early-season meeting with rather more weight than its September date suggests on Saturday, as Arsenal arrive at Falmer Stadium with a perfect Premier League record and the confidence of England’s reigning champions.
Mikel Arteta’s side have won each of their opening four league fixtures and will kick off against Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton at 11:00 Brasília time on 19 September. Darren England has been appointed referee for the fifth-round match in Brighton and Hove.
Arsenal’s latest league outing brought a 2-0 victory away to Sunderland, a result marked by Bruno Guimarães scoring his first goal since joining the London club. The Brazilian then celebrated in front of supporters of Sunderland, Newcastle United’s historic rivals. Guimarães was a major figure at Newcastle until the end of last season, giving the moment a particular edge in the north-east.
The visitors have also begun their cup campaign strongly. Arsenal beat Manchester City to lift the English Super Cup and moved into the League Cup last 16 by overcoming Ipswich Town. Their domestic momentum now takes them to a Brighton side that have found their rhythm after an uneven opening.
Brighton have not lost in three matches in all competitions. After their second-round Premier League defeat to Chelsea, they drew 1-1 with Leeds, defeated Coventry City 5-0 and then produced a 3-2 comeback against Manchester United in the third round of the League Cup.
“We face a very difficult opponent tomorrow, so we will have to earn the win,” Arteta said before the trip. “That will certainly be the mentality of the players and the team.”
There is also a recent managerial backdrop. Following the clubs’ last meeting in March, Hürzeler strongly criticised Arteta’s approach and suggested that the Arsenal manager created his own rules. Arteta insisted that the disagreement no longer matters.
“It is all behind us, it is in the past,” he said. “I have enormous respect for Fabian, for what he has done and for what Brighton have done as a club. It is simply remarkable. I am sure it will be a good match to watch.”
Expected teams at Falmer Stadium
Brighton are set to line up with Bart Verbruggen in goal; Ferdi Kadioglu, Lewis Dunk, Luka Vuskovic and Olivier Boscagli in defence; Pascal Gross and Carlos Baleba Ayari in midfield; with Diego Gomez, Yasin Yalcouye and Maxim De Cuyper supporting Charalampos Kostoulas. Hürzeler will take charge.
Arsenal’s expected side features David Raya; Jurrien Timber, Ezri Konsa, Gabriel Magalhães and Riccardo Calafiori; Bruno Guimarães alongside Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Christos Tzolis behind Kai Havertz. Arteta leads the visitors.
