ARSENAL will be aiming to get their Premier League top four bid back on track when they entertain Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Mikel Arteta's men suffered a shock defeat on Monday night as they slumped to a 3-0 loss at London neighbours Crystal Palace.
That Selhurst Park setback coupled with Tottenham's 5-1 demolition of Newcastle means the Gunners' arch-rivals have overtaken them in the race for much-coveted Champions League spot
Whilst Arsenal remain in control of their top-four destiny, they call ill-afford another off-day when they play host to Brighton this weekend.
The Seagulls have little left to play for and their minds may already be on warmer beaches than the south coast.
Graham Potter's side snapped a six-game losing streak with a drab 0-0 draw at home to Premier League no-hopers Norwich last weekend and it will be fair to say that there will be a huge step up in the capital.
Outright Betting
Arsenal, who boast the third-best home record in the Premier League this season, enter this encounter as 7/10 (SBK) favourites.
Brighton have won just three of their last 28 matches across all competitions and that is reflected in the odds with an away win priced up at 49/10 (SBK) while an all-square affair can be backed a t best 29/10 (SBK).
Betting Angles
Arsenal are too short to side with at the aforementioned quote but we can get 5/6 (Bet 365) on a Gunners success in a game that features fewer than five match goals and that looks like a worthy boost in price.
As already mentioned, Mikel Arteta's charges have produced the majority of their work at their capital headquarters this season, banking 32 points from a possible 45 , tasting defeat just three times.
That said, the Gunners rarely blow their opponents away, with each of their 10 home triumphs all going under the 4.5 goal barrier.
In fact, the above-mentioned combination has clicked in a sizeable 14 of Arsenal's 17 (82.3%) Premier League victories this season so far.
Out-of-sorts Brighton on the other hand, have little left to play for, not to mention the Seagulls have failed to shut out their opponents in 20 of their 28 top-flight outings this term to date, shipping at least one strike in 11 of their last 13 league games.
With that in mind, as well as the hosts undoubtedly being in greater need of the points, I'm more than happy to merge an Arsenal win and under five match goals in North London this weekend.
Elsewhere, I'll also head to the anytime goalscorer market and take the 3/1 available with SBK for Arsenal's Bukayo Saka to get on the scoresheet.
Saka has again been one of the club's standout performers this season having chipped in with nine goals and five assists in the Premier League and he represents a spot of value to add to that tally against a Brighton team who appear to have downed tools.
This English Premier League match between Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion will be played on Apr 9, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
