An in-form Arsenal side host Brighton & Hove Albion in a Sunday afternoon encounter on what is the last matchday of the 2020/21 Premier League season. On what has been a lackluster season for both Arsenal and Brighton, they will be aiming to end their respective campaigns on a high.
The Gunners currently sit in ninth place, a point below Tottenham and Everton who are both in contention to qualify for the inaugural Europa Conference League.
While Spurs and Toffees both face tough fixtures against Leicester City and Manchester City respectively, Arsenal have a chance to make up for what has been an absolutely abysmal season for their own liking. However, the Gunners go into this fixture in extremely high spirits as they have been unbeaten for their last five games in all competitions, four of which were wins in the Premier League, and the fifth one, a draw against Villareal in the Europa League semi-final which saw them getting knocked out of the competition.
Arsenal hasn’t missed out on European competition since 1995-96, but after a disappointing first full season under Mikel Arteta, it’s a distinct possibility in 2021-22 unless their own result and Spurs’ and Everton’s results go their way.
The Seagulls on the other hand go into this game without pretty much anything on the line. They have already secured another successful year in the Premier League with Sheffield United, West Brom, and Fulham all being relegated. Brighton will also be confident going into this game after coming back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Manchester City in midweek and beating them 3-2. The Seagulls are currently in 16th place, but with three points here and other results going their way, they could finish as high as the 13th. They have, however, just won one of their last seven away games.
Team News
Arsenal
On Sunday, Arsenal will have a nearly fully fit squad to choose from, with David Luiz and Hector Bellerin the only reported fitness concerns.
Nicolas Pepe has three goals in Arsenal’s last two games and should be a shoo-in to start the season’s final match. Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard is expected to return to the starting lineup in what may be his last game for the club.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton will welcome back Lewis Dunk after he served a two-match suspension in the win over Man City, but forward Neal Maupay remains suspended.
Danny Welbeck has been ruled out of a reunion with former club Arsenal after injuring his hamstring early in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over Manchester City.
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal Predicted XI vs Brighton (4-2-3-1): Leno; Chambers, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Partey; Pepe, Odegaard, Saka; Aubameyang.
Brighton Predicted XI vs Arsenal(3-4-2-1): Sanchez; White, Dunk, Webster; Gross, Bissouma, Lallana, Burn; Mac Allister, Trossard; Zeqiri.
Prediction
Arsenal 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
