ARSENAL will be aiming to maintain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table when they pay Brighton & Hove Albion a visit on New Year's Eve.
Having triumphed in 13 of their opening 15 top-flight fixtures of the season, the capital club are daring to dream about clinching a first English crown since the days of the 2003-04 ‘Invincibles’.
The Gunners resumed their quest for Premier League glory with a well-deserved 3-1 win over West Ham on Boxing Day, on a night where both of my recommended bets landed in North London.
That second-half comeback further solidified the notion that Arsenal are here to stay in the title race and they will now look to end the calendar year by earning three points in East Sussex.
Since Roberto De Zerbi's arrival as manager, Brighton have thrown up a real mixed bag of results, having won three, drawn two and lost four of their nine Premier League matches under the Italian's watch.
That being said, the seventh-placed Seagulls have won three of their last four league games, the most recent of which was a 3-1 victory away at south coast rivals Southampton.
Outright Betting
Despite avoiding defeat in nine of their last 11 Premier League home games, Brighton & Hove Albion head into this teatime tussle as 5/2 (Bet 365) outsiders while an all square affair at the Amex can be backed at 13/5 (Bet 365).
Arsenal, who have claimed top honours from eight of their last nine league games, enter their final fixture of 2022 as 11/10 (Bet 365) favourites.
Betting Angles
Arsenal will have their backers at the above-mentioned price but I'm going to bypass the 1×2 market and instead combine Arsenal to Score, Over three Arsenal Corners and Brighton to receive a card at 4/5 (Bet 365).
Mikel Arteta's men are the only team in the Premier League this season who have scored every time they have taken to the field, having notched at least once in each of their 15 outings thus far.
While in-form Brighton are exceeding expectations, they have posted just one clean sheet across their last 11 Premier League games – which came against lowly Nottingham Forest.
As such, I'm happy to back Arsenal to hit at least one goal here, but to nudge up the price, I'll also go with four Arsenal corners – something the league leaders have achieved in all but two of their 15 league games this season so far.
Given that the Gunners have drawn at least one card from 13 of their 15 Premier League opponents this season, I'll round off the Bet Builder by backing Brighton – who have collected 1+ caution in 13/15 league games this season – to have a name taken by referee Anthony Taylor.
When you consider that the aforementioned combination has clicked in each of Arsenal's last five Premier League contests, siding with the same selection at the Amex on Saturday seems like a sensible solution at 4/5 (Bet 365).
I'm also prepared to have a small play on table-topping Arsenal to score Over 1.5 Team Goals at 11/10 (BetVictor).
The Premier League pacesetters have hit two or more strikes in a league-high 11 of their 15 outings this season and they look a lovely price to repeat the trick here against a Seagulls side that have leaked 2+ goals in five of their nine top-flight fixtures since Roberto De Zerbi took the reins.
This English Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal will be played on Dec 31, 2022 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
