Force information
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta hopes Kai Havertz will return "in a few days, if not weeks" after returning to training after a knee injury sustained in the match against Man United last August.
The Arsenal coach also said that he hopes center-back Gabriel will soon return after suffering an injury during the Brazilian national team training camp in November.
In other developments, Gabriel Martinelli suffered a minor injury in the match against Crystal Palace at the Carabao Cup, while Piero Hincapie was completely absent after playing the full 90 minutes in the match against Everton on December 20. Ben White is still on stands due to a hamstring injury.
Danny Welbeck is expected to return after injury after missing the match between Brighton and Sunderland last time. Jan Paul van Hecke is also expected to recover after training to prepare for the match.
Lewis Dunk and Diego Gomez have also returned to the squad after missing the draw with Sunderland due to a one-match suspension. Carlos Baleba will be absent because he is currently representing Cameroon in the African Cup.
Notable figures
All three home wins of Arsenal against Brighton in the Premier League were scored 2-0 (October 2017, May 2021, December 2023).
The Gunners have won all their last five home matches in the Premier League. Only once under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal had a longer winning streak at the Emirates, which was 10 consecutive matches from April to December 2022.
Brighton has not won any match in the last 4 matches against Arsenal in the Premier League (2 draws, 2 losses).
Brighton has never won a single Premier League match in December under Fabian Hurzeler in 10 appearances (6 draws, 4 losses). This is the most matches a coach has ever coached in December without winning, in the number one league of England.
Among the players who played more than 500 minutes in the Premier League this season, only the Man City duo Jeremy Doku (3.4) and Rayan Cherki (3.2) created more open chances in 90 minutes compared to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard (2.5). The Norwegian midfielder created four chances in the most recent match against Everton.
David Raya may make his 150th Premier League appearance - since his debut in August 2021. The Spanish goalkeeper is the one who has kept a clean sheet more than any other colleague in the Premier League during this time.
The Arsenal vs Brighton match will take place at 10:00 PM on December 27th at the Emirates Stadium.
