Will Arsenal also convince in the League Cup?
In the English Premier League, Arsenal FC continue to be the measure of all things. Somewhat surprisingly, the Gunners lead the standings ahead of Manchester City and have already built up a small cushion of two points. During the week, however, the Londoners are not challenged in the league, but in the League Cup. In front of their home crowd, Arteta’s team will be up against an uncomfortable opponent.
The Seagulls, a team that has already put the fear of God into some of the top teams this season, will be the guests at the Emirates Stadium. As sixth in the standings, the port cities definitely don’t need to hide. Nevertheless, the most logical betting option before the clash between Arsenal and Brighton is a home win after normal time. The bookmakers see it very similarly.
With regard to a suitable Arsenal vs. Brighton prediction, it must be taken into account that in comparison to the FA Cup, which is far less important, many coaches often start the rotation machine and pay less attention to this second most important cup competition on the island. Given the depth of the squad as well as the very positive mood in the capital, the Gunners would remain favourites in our eyes even if a B eleven was used.
Arsenal – Statistics & current form
The Arsenal Football Club continues to swim on the wave of success. At the weekend, the team of coach Mikel Arteta completely deserved to win 1-0 in the derby at Chelsea and thus secured the top position in the Premier League. Six of the last seven matches were won at league level. Only against Southampton did the capital club have to settle for a draw. In total, Arsenal can look back on a record of eleven wins, one draw and only one defeat. 34 points out of a possible 39 are an outstanding haul.
Especially at home, Gabriel Jesus and Co. are almost unbeatable. In the Premier League, there were six victories in six home matches and in the Europa League, too, all matches were won in front of their own fans. All three matches without conceding a goal.
All the Arsenal players are actually working at the moment
Speaking of the Europa League: The international competition could well turn out to be a positive factor for the upcoming match in the EFL Cup. Because the Spanish coach Mikel Arteta already rotates a lot on a European basis and supplementary players are always given their chance from the start, they have more match practice on the one hand and a certain self-confidence to also play an important role in the coach’s plans on the other.
Both are arguments that justify a prediction of a home win between Arsenal and Brighton, especially as many youngsters and substitutes traditionally start in the English League Cup. Combined with the continuing momentum and home advantage, there is almost no alternative to betting on the in-form home side.
Apart from Emil Smith-Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who will face Germany in World Cup Group E with Japan, all men are fit for action. Turner, Lokonga, Tierney, Vieira, Nelson, Nketiah, Elneny or Marquinhos are all players who could be considered for the starting eleven. Martinelli, Jesus, Odegaard and co, meanwhile, could get a rest ahead of this weekend’s crucial away game at Wolverhampton.
Predicted Arsenal line-up:
Turner; Cedric, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Elneny, Lokonga; Marquinhos, Vieira, Nelson; Nketiah
Last matches played by Arsenal:
Premier League
06/11/2022 – Chelsea FC 0 – 1 Arsenal FC
Europa League Grp. A
04/11/2022 – FC Arsenal 1 – 0 FC Zurich
Premier League
30/10/2022 – Arsenal FC 5 – 0 Nottingham Forest
Europa League Grp. A
27/10/2022 – PSV Eindhoven 2 – 0 FC Arsenal
Premier League
23/10/2022 – Southampton 1 – 1 FC Arsenal
Brighton – Statistics & current form
For many years Brighton were a typical mid-table team in England. There wasn’t much going up, but most of the time there wasn’t much to worry about going down either. Actually, such a ‘grey mouse’ would be predestined to play a good role in the national cup competitions. However, this has not been the case at all for Brighton Hove & Albion in the recent past.
Only in the 2018/19 season did the Seagulls reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup. In the last three seasons, however, the more important of the two cup competitions ended in round three, four or five at the latest. It is no different in the EFL Cup, where they have not been able to make it past the fourth round and into the last 16 since 2014/15. The port city team can therefore by no means be described as a typical cup team.
Brighton feel right at home against the top teams
The focus in the current season is likely to be primarily on the Premier League, where things are currently going really well. With 21 points, Brighton are in an excellent sixth place and are right up there with the European Cup places. After only two points from five games, the Blue and Whites recently beat Wolverhampton (3:2) and Chelsea (4:1).
The success against the Blues from London was not the first stroke of genius of the underdogs in the current season. The surprise sixth-placed team had already scored against Liverpool (3:3) and Manchester United (2:1). The Seagulls also scored a goal of their own against Manchester City in the 1:3. So perhaps it is also an option to target the odds on both teams scoring between Arsenal and Brighton.
Roberto de Zerbi, installed around a month ago to replace Graham Potter who left for Chelsea FC, will play his first cup game in England on Wednesday night. Perhaps the rotation for the visitors will therefore be less pronounced than for the home side. In the end, however, the starting position remains the same. It would be a great success for Brighton if they were to go through to the next round at the Emirates Stadium.
Predicted Brighton line-up:
Steele; Veltman, Dunk, Colwill; Lamptey, Caicedo, Gilmour, Mitoma; March, Welbeck, Trossard
Last Brighton games:
Premier League
05/11/2022 – Wolverhampton 2 – 3 Brighton
29/10/2022 – Brighton 4 – 1 Chelsea FC
22/10/2022 – Manchester City 3 – 1 Brighton
19/10/2022 – Brighton 0 – 0 Nottingham Forest
15/10/2022 – Brentford 2 – 0 Brighton
Arsenal – Brighton Direct comparison / H2H record
The clubs have faced each other 18 times so far in England’s top flight. With eight wins compared to six defeats and four draws, the Gunners have the slight edge. In seven cup games, FA Cup and League Cup, the balance is even more in favour of the Londoners with six wins and one draw.
The last cup duel, however, dates back to the 2014/15 season. More important is a look at the most recent two encounters in the past PL season. There, too, the Seagulls were able to pick up four of a possible six points against the Arteta team. Nevertheless, the omens on Wednesday are completely different.
Arsenal – Brighton Tip
If this was a Premier League game, we would be somewhat surprised to see odds of up to 1.70 on a home win between Arsenal and Brighton. However, given the fact that the leaders of the English top flight and the sixth-placed team are facing each other in the EFL Cup, there are some peculiarities that need to be taken into account.
First and foremost, of course, the question must be allowed as to which team takes this competition more seriously. In this context, it is always an option to switch to live betting and place your bets after the first few minutes of the game have been seen. However, because we expect some rotation on both sides and the Gunners have the wider squad, we expect a home win after regulation time.
