Matchday Preview: Arsenal head to Amex Stadium for Brighton & Hove Albion matchup

Matchday Facts:

Kickoff: 12:30 pm eastern time

Location: Amex Stadium

Channel/Streaming: NBC Sports and Peacock

It was such a positive atmosphere this past Sunday as the Gunners illustrated the potential they're truly capable of against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby. Arsenal won the game handily 3-1. But, unfortunately, it didn't come without a negative. It was reported Wednesday morning that midfielder Granit Xhaka would miss up to three months for a medial knee ligament injury suffered in the 77' minute after a Lucas Moura collision. Now Arsenal heads to the Amex Stadium ahead of an essential matchup against Brighton & Hove Albion. The Seagulls hold an impressive start to their season, sitting sixth in the table with only one loss in six matches.

No other Premier League squad other than Arsenal has experienced such highs and lows to start the season. However, with experiencing such turmoil within the first three matches, it appears that the Gunners are now swinging with total momentum. The only setback is losing Xhaka, so how will Arteta lineup, and will he shift back to his 4-3-3 formation or stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation?

Predicted Lineup:

GK- Ramsdale

RB- Tomiyasu

CB- White

CB- Gabriel

LB- Tierney

CM- Partey

CM- Lokonga

CM- Ødegaard

RW- Saka

ST- Aubameyang

LW- Smith Rowe

Overall, Arteta will move back to his 4-3-3 formation, especially with Xhaka being out, so that means Ødegaard will be tracking back more than he usually would. The only pieces that may be plugged in from this predicted lineup are Nicholas Pepe, or Ainsley Maitland-Niles starts against Brighton.

Predicted Score:

2-0 Arsenal

I think we're going to see an Arsenal team that may start a little slow, which means Brighton will be bringing pressure on goal early, but if Arsenal can hold off those early minutes, they'll settle into the game well. The critical detail for the match will come down to the high press that Arsenal can bring. For the season's opening games, they weren't disciplined enough to execute the press throughout the entire match. It wasn't until Tottenham that fans could see the Gunners manage the high press that Arteta has wanted for a full 90 minutes each game. If they can bring that same kind of discipline for the high press, then Brighton will struggle against it. Their best distributor is Yves Bissouma, so if Arsenal can isolate his style of play, Brighton will become disjointed, and it'll be more challenging for them to create chances.

This match has massive implications on the Premier League for both Arsenal and Brighton. Still, if Arsenal can secure the three points on the road, the Gunners will have 12 points and will be a step closer to returning to European competition for next season. On the other hand, if Arsenal is to drop points today, then they very well could be right back to square one, with the rest of the top teams continuing to move up in the table.