English Premier League Soccer - Brighton Hove & Albion vs. Arsenal, 6/20/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds
by Valdis Panis
Having ended an eight-game unbeaten run with a defeat in Manchester versus City, 9th-placed Arsenal will try to get back on track when visiting 15th-placed Brighton Hove & Albion, who sit just two points off the drop-zone. Kick-off - at 10:00 AM ET on Saturday, June 20.
Brighton Struggle To Win
Brighton Hove & Albion return to Premier League action, sitting 15th in the standings with a W6 D11 L12 record, albeit just two points above the bottom three. The Seagulls are yet to post a single victory in the calendar year of 2020, with their last triumph coming on Dec. 28, when the team banked a 2-0 home win against Bournemouth. Since then, the seaside club has collected just six points on nine tries in the Premier League (D6 L3), albeit recording just a single fiasco in its last five games (D4 L1). Three of the previous four home outings of Brighton have finished with 1-1 draws, with the other being a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
French forward Neal Maupay tops the Seagulls’ scoring chart, having found the back of the net on eight occasions this season. Goalie Mat Ryan, meanwhile, sits 5th in the Premier League with 92 saves, having collected them in 29 appearances. He has posted six clean sheets and gives up a goal every 65 minutes on average. Brighton have netted the 14th highest number of goals this year (32), while taking the 7th highest quantity of shots per game (13). The team is 5th in ball possession (54.2%) and 7th in passing accuracy (81.5%).
Arsenal Get Beaten By City
A three-game winning streak and an eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League (W4 D4) came to an end for Arsenal, who returned to action with a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City away at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. The Gunners saw Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari limp off with injuries in the first 25 minutes of the contest before David Luiz was shown a straight red card at the start of the second half after the hosts were already leading 1-0. The Citizens converted the ensuing penalty and added their third in injury time, with Arsenal forced to retain their 9th position in the league (W9 D13 L7).
Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leads the Gunners with 17 markers, having scored six times in his past nine appearances. Goalie Bern Leno, meanwhile, sits 2nd in the league with 113 saves. He has picked up seven clean sheets in 29 games and gives up a goal every 67 minutes of play. Arsenal has buried the 8th highest number of goals so far this season (40) while delivering the 14th highest quantity of shots per game (10.9). The team is 6th in ball possession (53.6%) and 4th in passing accuracy (83.8%).
Prediction
Brighton Hove & Albion are an absolute nightmare of a team for Arsenal, who have failed to win any of their last four Premier League contests against the Seagulls since beating the seaside club 2-0 in October 2017. The Gunners played half of their game against Manchester City on Wednesday with 10 men, but showed little spark even in the first half. Besides, they will be playing just three days after their previous contest and will be facing a Brighton team, which has collected six draws in its past nine matches (D6 L3). With Arsenal leading the Premier League in stalemates alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers, this season (both teams have 13 ties), don’t look any further for the most likely outcome of this game!
Best bet:
Draw (+235)