Arsenal resume their EFL Cup run with a clash against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates, with a spot in the quarter-finals up for grabs.

Arsenal are currently on an imperious run of form heading into their midweek EFL Cup clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates. The Gunners managed to keep their composure for a chunk of the game at the weekend against Crystal Palace and secured yet another narrow win to improve their standing at the top of the Premier League table.

A first-half strike from Eberechi Eze against his former side proved enough to collect the three points and go four clear at the top. Currently, they are six clear of Manchester City and seven ahead of champions Liverpool, and Mikel Arteta’s side are threatening to run away with the title race.

However, they must now shift their focus to success in the cup competition, something that has evaded Arteta over the years. Last season, they bowed out at the semi-final stage to eventual winners Newcastle United, and so far this term, they have made progress by beating Port Vale away from home in the third round. Now, the Gunners face off against Brighton, who did manage to oust them back in the 2022/23 season.

Fabian Hurzeler does have a favourable record against Arteta since taking over at Brighton last season. Two draws in the Premier League against the Premier League leaders in what were feisty games on both occasions suggest a close contest for Wednesday, and the German tactician will want to register a first win over the Gunners and add to his impressive CV.

Brighton & Hove Albion are coming into this clash at the Emirates on the back of a big loss to Manchester United away from home, having been defeated with a 4-2 scoreline. The Seagulls have had an inconsistent start to the campaign, and while they have managed to get some big results under their belt, there were those they lost or drew, which many expected them to win.

In the cup, they did make a big statement against Barnsley with a 6-0 thrashing of the lower league side. Whether that will reflect on their visit to the Emirates remains to be seen, but they will come into this clash certainly as the underdogs. Whether they have what it takes to oust the league leaders from this competition again remains to be seen, but for now, they are the second favourites to pass through.

Team News & Tactics

Arsenal

The win over Crystal Palace may have come at a cost, as the game saw four key stars limp off the pitch. First, it was William Saliba, who was replaced by Cristhian Mosquera at half-time, with the Spaniard likely to start at the back for Arsenal in this clash against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori also went out late in the game, while Gabriel Martinelli was seen walking straight down the tunnel, with speculation suggesting he could have an groin issue. Hence, there are significant doubts whether any of those four players will be risked in the midweek EFL Cup tie. However, Mikel Arteta has plenty of options to choose from to replace the quartet.

Ideally, Gabriel Magalhaes, who did not train after the UEFA Champions League win but played the full game against Crystal Palace, should be rested for this one. Arteta could bring in Piero Hincapie for his first start for the club in the Brazilian’s place, while Myles Lewis-Skelly could replace Calafiori at left-back.

Martin Zubimendi is also due for a rest, and that could see Christian Norgaard replace him, while Mikel Merino could come in for Rice. Arteta might have to keep some of his stars from the Palace game in the lineup due to the many injury issues, meaning Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres might retain their places, while Ethan Nwaneri could come in for Bukayo Saka.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Norgaard, Merino; Nwaneri, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres

Brighton & Hove Albion

Fabian Hurzeler will assess the fitness levels of key trip Kaoru Mitoma, Brajan Gruda, and Joel Veltman, with none of the three passing fit for the trip to Old Trafford.

Brighton & Hove Albion are optimistic they will return soon, and even make the matchday squad for midweek, although a start against Arsenal does seem difficult. Jack Hinshelwood, Solly March, and Adam Webster are the ones missing from the team for the long run, with no return date set from their injuries as of yet.

Given the importance of the clash, Hurzeler is not expected to make many changes to the lineup that started at Old Trafford. An option to start could be veteran midfielder James Milner, who could partner Yasin Ayari in the Brighton midfield, with Georginio Rutter occupying the attacking midfield space.

Former Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck should lead the line for the Seagulls, while Diego Gomez and Yankuba Minteh should complete the attacking setup for Brighton at the Emirates on Wednesday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Wieffer, Dunk, Boscagli, De Cuyper; Milner, Ayari; Gomez, Rutter, Minteh; Welbeck

Key Stats

• Arsenal are unbeaten in 10 games across all competitions.
• Arsenal have recorded seven wins in that run without conceding a goal.
• Brighton have failed to make the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup since the 1978/79 edition.
• Brighton have been eliminated from the Last 16 stage in four of the last five seasons.

Player to Watch

Ethan Nwaneri

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Mikel Arteta has made sure he manages the expectations with Nwaneri in the book, and he has done so exceptionally well so far. The young playmaker has many people backing him to start games, but the Arsenal manager has somewhat restricted his appearances owing to a lot of factors, mainly due to the need to take it slowly with his progress.

Nwaneri might get his opportunity on Wednesday as Arteta flexes the muscles with his squad depth to the best of his ability against Brighton. With intense competition in the position the teenager plays in, this midweek clash will be a good opportunity for Nwaneri to showcase his worth to Arteta and maybe get into the manager’s thinking to play regularly moving forward.

Prediction

Arsenal 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion are not in the kind of form Fabian Hurzeler would have wanted ahead of such a big clash against Arsenal. However, the German manager has enjoyed a good record so far against Arteta, and he might look to use that. But, considering the form the Gunners are in, it might be a long night for the Seagulls at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta may prefer to use his squad depth to a good degree for the midweek clash, given the quantity of games many of his key starters have played in recent weeks. Hence, there will be question marks about their ability to keep another clean sheet, given there could be a changed backline, but their quality across the pitch could see them progress into the next round.