Early Brighton team news
Meanwhile, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler confirmed that as many as five first-team players could return for the clash at the Emirates.
Captain Lewis Dunk and midfielder Diego Gomez will return after suspensions, with Danny Welbeck set to return against his former club after a back issue. Mats Wieffer and Jan Paul van Hecke could also return, having missed the game against Sunderland.
Predicted Brighton XI: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Ayari, Hinshelwood; Minteh, Gruda, Gomez, Welbeck
Luke Baker27 December 2025 13:22
Early Arsenal team news
Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel all remain out injured for Arsenal, with Piero Hincapie likely to partner William Saliba in defence, if the Ecuadorian recovers from the knock that kept him out of their match with Crystal Palace in midweek.
Otherwise, Arteta is expected to return to his strongest team, having made a number of changes for the Carabao Cup clash against Palace.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres

Luke Baker27 December 2025 13:20
Why is Arsenal v Brighton not on TV?
Arsenal v Brighton will kick off at 3pm GMT at the Emirates Stadium.
As the match is taking place during the 3pm Saturday blackout, it will not be televised live in the UK.
Sky Sports has the highlights of all Saturday 3pm kick-offs from 5:15pm GMT on their app and YouTube channel.
In addition, viewers in the UK can watch extended highlights of all of Saturday’s matches via BBC’s Match of the Day, which airs at 10:25pm GMT on Saturday night.
Luke Baker27 December 2025 13:19
Arsenal v Brighton
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Arsenal v Brighton. Can the Gunners keep their place atop the Premier League pile?
Luke Baker27 December 2025 13:15



