Brighton vs Arsenal preview, prediction, team news and head-to-head

• Both teams to score

• Over 3.5 goals

• Arsenal to win

• Arsenal to score first

• Over 5.5 corners

Arsenal continue their Premier League title charge on Wednesday night, facing Brighton on the south coast.

A second straight London derby success - after their destruction of Tottenham Hotspur - allowed Arsenal to restore their five-point lead over Manchester City. They remain in pole position to lift the title come the end of the season, but with Manchester City just five points behind and  showdown at the Etihad on the horizon, there is little room for error.

A midweek match against Brighton could prove a banana skin, though. The Seagulls seem to be back to form after a grim run saw them go winless in six between January and February.

Buoyed by back-to-back victories in the top flight, Brighton have picked up more Premier League wins in their last two games than they had in their previous 13 beforehand, suggesting that their European dream is not dead and buried just yet.

Still, the signs of revival are encouraging for Brighton. They have suffered just two Premier League home defeats all season long, albeit also winning just two of their last eight at the Amex.

Back-to-back victories over Brighton and Nottingham Forest have left them eleventh in the table, and Fabian Hurzeler will hope his side can keep up their positive run and give Mikel Arteta’s title hopefuls a stern test.

Brighton and Hove Albion have won just two of their last 11 Premier League matches against Arsenal (D3 L6), with both wins coming at the Emirates in April 2022 (2-1) and May 2023 (3-0).

Arsenal lost two of their first three Premier League trips to the Amex against Brighton (D1), but haven’t lost any of their last five visits since 2020-21 (W3 D2).

Brighton have won two of their last four Premier League home games against the team starting the day top of the table (D1 L1), both by a 3-2 scoreline. However, both of these victories came after their opponents had already won the Premier League title (Man City in May 2021, Liverpool in May 2025).

Mats Wieffer could not complete the full 90 against Nottingham Forest for Brighton, so Joel Veltman could be drafted into the right-back slot.

Yasin Ayari is on the verge of his return from a shoulder problem, but long-term absentees Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas remain out for the season with knee injuries.

James Milner made his record-extending 655th Premier League appearance from the first whistle on Sunday, but the youthful Carlos Baleba is an alternative if the former's 40-year-old legs are spared given the quick turnaround.

Declan Rice was spotted in clear discomfort during the second half before being withdrawn, and his condition will be assessed in the coming hours. If he remains unfit, Myles Lewis-Skelly could come into midfield for him; the Hale End graduate was due to start centrally against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup before Riccardo Calafiori's warm-up injury.

Martin Odegaard and Ben White are also carrying minor issues. Mikel Merino continues his recovery from foot surgery, though Kai Havertz made his return at the weekend and is pushing for more minutes.

Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Gross, Baleba; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Mitoma; Welbeck

Arsenal: Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Havertz, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli

The Brighton revival is gathering pace, but defensive concerns continue to linger for the Seagulls, who have only managed to keep one clean sheet in their last 10 matches in all competitions.

The Gunners are in fine form as they push on in their title charge, and show no signs of slowing as they do so. They will be high on confidence after coming through a chaotic derby meeting with Chelsea last time out, and will be keen to keep the good run going as they head south.

Correct score prediction: Brighton 1-3 Arsenal