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Brighton vs Arsenal preview
Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Fabian Herzeler has expressed his concern over how long Arsenal can take with their dreaded corner routines when the Premier League leaders are leading the contest.
Herzerler is trying to avoid an upset when the Gunners visit the Amex Stadium on Wednesday and the German believes fans are being undersold due to the amount of time teams take on set pieces.
“There are no clear rules anymore,” Hergerl said. “How much time you can spend taking corners, how much time you can spend throwing.
“Sometimes the referee blows the whistle and it’s a foul. Sometimes the referee doesn’t think it’s a foul or doesn’t blow the whistle.
“That’s why we have this topic now. But for me, the main topic is the clear rule how much time you waste for corners, for throw-ins, for free-kicks, because when Arsenal have a corner and they’re in front, sometimes they spend more than a minute just taking a corner.”
Critics of Arsenal’s tactics have scored 19 goals from set pieces this season, five more than any other side in the Premier League this season.
While a third successive win could lift Brighton into ninth place, their opponents will be hoping to stay five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who host fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest on the same evening (19:30 GMT).
“I’m upset that we don’t score more and we concede,” replied coach Mikel Arteta when he was inevitably asked about Arsenal’s corners.
“We want to be the best and most dominant team in every aspect of the game, and that’s the way this team is. As a club, that’s what we want.
“Brighton are a very good side, (the way) they’re coached as well. They’ve had a very similar style and a sequence of years with players who fit really, really well into what they want to do.
“They really believe in what they want to do, so they’re always very tough opponents.”
Committed to the cause ⛔️
The best tackles from our win against Chelsea 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/CWUBItTJZw
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 3, 2026
Brighton vs Arsenal Team News
Full-back Mets Viffer is available for Brighton despite picking up an injury during Sunday’s 2-1 home win over Nottingham Forest.
Midfielder Yassin Ayari could return from a dislocated shoulder but centre-back Adam Webster and forward Stefanos Zimas have long-term knee injuries.
Wideman Solly March returned from the bench against Forest after 11 months out following a second knee operation.
Hergeller suggested players who haven’t started recently will be given a chance, with 40-year-old James Milner almost certain to be rested and Danny Welbeck another candidate to start on the bench.
That means the likes of midfielder Carlos Baleba and winger Yankuba Minteh could come in.
Arteta hopes Declan Rice will be fit after being substituted during Sunday’s 2-1 home win against Chelsea with a knee problem.
Martin Odegaard is recovering from a knee injury and fellow midfielder Mikel Marino is a major doubt.
Full-back Ben White is a doubt with a knock but Kai Havertz could start after coming off the bench against the Blues following a hamstring injury.
Winger Max Daumann is available following an ankle problem and Arteta has allayed concerns over goalkeeper David Raya, who suffered discomfort against Chelsea.
Brighton vs Arsenal line-ups predicted
Brighton starting XI: Bart Verbruggen; Mats Wiffer, Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke, Ferdi Kadioglu; Diego Gomez, Carlos Baliba; Yankuba Minteh, Jack Hinselwood, Kaoru Mitoma; Georginio Rutter
Arsenal starting XI: David Raya; Cristian Mosquera, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhas, Ricardo Calafiori; Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Myles Lewis-Skelley; Bukayo Saka, Victor Gyokares, Kai Havertz
Where to watch Brighton vs Arsenal: TV channel, live stream online
Kick-off on Wednesday is at 19:30 (14:30 ET / 11:30 PT). Live TV coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 2 and the Discovery Plus app.
TNT Sports by Discovery Plus costs £29.99 a month, includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a wide range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.
Brighton vs Arsenal Stats
- Two of the last nine Premier League meetings between Brighton and Arsenal have been won at home (3 draws, 4 away wins), although Arsenal won 2-1 earlier this season. The last time the two won both league matches at home was in 2017/18.
- Brighton They have won two of their last 11 Premier League matches against Arsenal (D3 L6), both victories coming at the Emirates Stadium, in April 2022 (2-1) and May 2023 (3-0).
- Albion’s two-game run of league wins comes after one win in 13 (D6 L6). The Seagulls last won three consecutive league fixtures in May 2025
- They have won two of their last four Premier League With a 3-2 scoreline, home games against the team starting at the top of the table for the day (D1 L1). Both came after their opponents had already won the Premier League title (Man City in May 2021, Liverpool in May 2025).
- Danny Welbeck 10 Premier League goals this season, matching his best ever, set in 2024/25. One more would make Welbeck only the third player aged 35 or over to score more than 10 goals in his first Premier League season, after Gary McAllister in 1999/00 (35) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2016/17 (35).
- Arsenal lost two of their first three Premier League trips to Brighton (D1) but have lost none of their five since 2020/21 (W3 D2).
- They are unbeaten in their last 19 evening (19:00 or later) league matches (W14 D5) since a 2-0 home defeat to West Ham in December 2023.
- All three of those games so far in 2026 have ended (0-0 v Liverpool, 1-1 v Brentford, 2-2 v Wolves).
- In between August and December Premier League This season, Arsenal have scored 11 goals in nine away games for an average of 1.2 per game. Since the turn of the year they have made 14 of six on the road, an average of 2.3 per game
- Of the 20 occasions when Arsenal 1-0 in the Premier League this season, their opener came from a set-piece or penalty in 13 of them. It is the joint-most set-piece or penalty opening goals scored by any side in a single Premier League campaign.
- Victor Gyokares Has been directly involved in six goals in his last seven away games for Arsenal in all competitions (5 goals, 1 assist), twice in his first 12 on the road (no assists).
Brighton vs Arsenal Prediction
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