Preview- Brighton v Arsenal: Gunners looking for back to back wins

Arsenal travels to Brighton in their next match in the Premier League as they look to build on their impressive win over Chelsea.

The games are coming thick and fast during the festive period and Mikel Arteta will know that his side has the opportunity to consolidate their win over Chelsea by traveling to Brighton and securing another precious three points.

Team news

Brighton

Graham Potter will be without Tariq Lamptey again as a hamstring issue will keep him sidelined for the third game in a row.

Midfielder Adam Lallana will be assessed ahead of kick-off after being taken off at half-time in Brighton’s draw with West Ham with a groin issue.

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta will again be without defender Gabriel after the Brazilian had to self isolate after coming into close contact with someone who currently has Covid-19.

Both Willian and David Luiz both missed their sides 3-1 win over Chelsea due to illness and both returned negative results for Covid and it is unclear if both will feature at all.

Ghanaian Thomas Partey is still out with a thigh injury although the midfielder has been involved in first-team training this week so expect him to feature in the new year.

Captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was an unused substitute against Chelsea and could be in line to return to the starting line-up, however, given the nature of his injury, a cautious approach could be taken with the Gabon international.

Gunners need to build on Chelsea result

As Granit Xhaka said after the Chelsea win, the result will mean nothing if they do not take three points from their next two games where they play Brighton and West Brom away.

It has been labeled a firestarter for Mikel Arteta and his side as the Chelsea win ended a run of seven Premier League games without a win. Funnily enough, it was the younger brigade that fans had been desperate to see that got the job done at the expense of the more senior players.

After the type of performance that his side gave him, Mikel Arteta should give the same players that chance to back up and replicate the Chelsea result. However Gunners fans know all too well how fond the Spaniard is of Willian and it is unclear whether the Brazilian will be involved on Tuesday.

Predicted line-up: Leno, Bellerin, Mari, Holding, Tierney, Xhaka, Elneny, Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Lacazette.

The Gunners win over Chelsea certainly lifted the doom and gloom that has been surrounding the club lately, however one result does not change the fact that this side desperately needs to start to climb the table.

It starts with Brighton at home and then Arsenal follows it up with a trip to West Brom. Six points are needed from these two matches and Mikel Arteta will know that even after the Chelsea result, his job is still far from safe.

Predicted scoreline: Brighton 0-2 Arsenal