Fabian Hurzeler believes that if his Brighton side can close the small margins against Arsenal, they have a great chance of taking three points from the leaders.
Brighton travel to the capital after four league games without a win, following defeats to Aston Villa and Liverpool and draws against West Ham and Sunderland.
Their form has seen them drop to ninth in the Premier League, but the Seagulls remain within five points of last-place Chelsea in the Champions League.
Hurzeler’s side have already played the Gunners this season and went down 2-0 in the EFL Cup in a match that the Brighton boss thought his team created enough chances to win.
And while Hurzeler must rue the missed opportunities on their latest visit to the Emirates Stadium, Hurzeler is confident his side can return to victory against Mikel Arteta’s side.
“The most important thing is to get the small margins right against Arsenal. To defend set pieces well, to be good in and out of possession,” Hurzeler told reporters.
“We have to stay alive for 90 minutes. But we can’t go there thinking only about defending. We have to play with courage.”
“We will try to bring our playing style on the pitch. We know we can beat any team in the league, even though it will be a big challenge. But we are going there to win.”
Back to it. pic.twitter.com/b4HxP9hC1k
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) December 23, 2025
Arsenal were involved in midweek action, advancing to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup after beating Crystal Palace 8–7 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw in normal time.
Kepa Arrizabalaga proved the hero in the shoot-out, deflecting Maxence Lacroix’s penalty after 14 perfect penalties to seal a date with Chelsea in the last four.
The Gunners will be top of the Premier League on Christmas Day and the Opta supercomputer has assigned them 68.7% of the top spot in its season simulations.
In addition to their impressive runs in domestic competitions, Arsenal also top the 36-team Champions League table. Something Arteta said underlines the consistency his players have built since day one.
“We are in all competitions and the team is showing great signs of consistency, quality and togetherness,” said Arteta.
“Today we made eight changes and when that happens it’s very difficult to see a team that is so cohesive, and I’m really proud of what I saw.
“There were also some really great individual performances. So yeah, a great evening.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arsenal – Martin Odegarard
After missing six Premier League games due to a knee injury, Odegaard has returned to the Arsenal line-up with a bang and will be keen to continue his good form here.
Of the players to play more than 500 minutes in the top flight this season, only Manchester City duo Jeremy Doku (3.4) and Rayan Cherki (3.2) have created more open play opportunities per 90 minutes than Odegaard (2.5), with the Norwegian creating four timeouts last time out against Everton.
Brighton – Brian Gruda
After their stalemate against Sunderland, Brighton are eager to return to glory at the Emirates, and Gruda could be key to their chances.
Against the Black Cats, he finished the match with team-high totals for chances created (four), successful dribbles (three), total duels (18) and passes into the final third (23).
MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WINS
Arsenal have won each of their last five home games in the Premier League. Only once have they had a longer run at the Emirates under Arteta, winning 10 in a row between April and December 2022.
However, the Gunners have won just three of their eight Premier League home games against Brighton (38%, D2 L3), while against Wimbledon (25%) and Liverpool (36%) they have only a lower winning percentage among teams they have faced five or more times.
All three of Arsenal’s home Premier League wins against Brighton came 2–0 (October 2017, May 2021, December 2023), with them failing to win any of the five home wins against them at the Emirates after conceding (D2 L3).
However, Brighton remain winless in their last four Premier League games against Arsenal (D2 L2), although they did come from behind last season to draw 1-1 in both meetings.
The Seagulls have also failed to score in their last two Premier League matches, one of only two sides to fail to score at MD16 and MD17, along with Everton. Since January 2024, they have not gone three games without a goal.
And they hope to give their supporters a long-awaited Christmas gift. Brighton have never won a Premier League match under Hurzeler in 10 attempts (D6 L4) as of December. It is the most games ever overseen by a manager in December without winning.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Arsenal – 69.1%
Draw – 17.3%
Brighton – 13.6%
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