Arsenal have recently been a mess in the Premier League lately, failing to carpe diem when a top four slot was there for the taking. They have now lost four of the past five and find themselves close to being officially out of the top four yet again.
If fellow London sides Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea both win this weekend and Arsenal draws or loses to Brighton, they will then have only one route back into the UCL- winning the Europa League.
Brighton is battling for something much different- staying up in the Premier League next season. However, safety could be clinched if Crystal Palace wins at Cardiff City on Saturday night.
Arsenal FC Starting XI Prediction (4-3-3) vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Attacking Players: Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette
Midfielders: Sead Kolasinac, Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka
Back line: Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno
Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion FYIs
Kickoff- Sunday May 5, Emirates Stadium 4:30 pm
Injury report for both sides: go to this link
Form guide: Arsenal LLLWL Brighton DLDLL
Google Result Probability: Arsenal win 67%, Draw 21%, Brighton win 12%
Prediction: Arsenal 2, Brighton 1
I wouldn’t feel safe picking the Gunners on the road against anyone these days, but I have good faith in predicting a W for them here at home against a side that’s close to the drop zone.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, also contributes to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.