Arsenal welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Emirates Stadium for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup fourth-round clash.
The Gunners are leading the way in the Premier League off the back of an imperious defensive record, and another clean sheet on Sunday helped them to a slender victory over Brighton’s A23 rivals Crystal Palace.
The Seagulls were beaten at Manchester United on Saturday amid an up-and-down start to their 2025–26 campaign, but they’ve been absolutely electric in this competition so far, defeating Oxford United and Barnsley 6–0 to set up this tie. Arsenal, meanwhile, beat Port Vale 2–0 in the third round.
There’s certainly no love lost between these two teams after their pair of 1–1 draws last season were laden with controversy. The Gunners felt aggrieved in both stalemates, having seen Declan Rice harshly sent off in the first meeting before Brighton were awarded a penalty in the reverse fixture for William Saliba’s soft collision with João Pedro.
The visitors also downed the hosts when they last faced off in this competition three years ago, as a Brighton side led by Roberto De Zerbi won 3–1 in north London.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash.
What Time Does Arsenal vs. Brighton Kick Off?
- Location: London, England
- Stadium: Emirates Stadium
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 29
- Kick-off Time: 7.45 p.m. BST / 3.45 p.m. ET / 12.45 p.m. PT
- Referee: Sam Barrott
Arsenal vs. Brighton Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Arsenal: 2 wins
- Brighton: 1 win
- Draws: 2
- Last meeting: Brighton 1–1 Arsenal (Jan. 4, 2025) - Premier League
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Arsenal vs. Brighton on TV, Live Stream
Arsenal Team News
The Arsenal boss admitted he was “unsure” about the knocks Declan Rice and William Saliba sustained against Palace, while Riccardo Calafiori was also forced off on Sunday. Gabriel Martinelli was then seen limping down the tunnel post-match.
Arteta may not deem it necessary to risk the aforementioned names in midweek, with the Gunners’ squad deep enough to cope with such absences on Wednesday night. Cristhian Mosquera, Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly could all come into the team, while Piero Hincapié may make his first start in red and white.
Martin Ødegaard, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus remain out of action. Bukayo Saka should get a rest after battling an illness in the build-up to Sunday’s win.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton
Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Brighton (4-3-3): Kepa; White, Mosquera, Hincapié, Lewis-Skelly, Nørgaard, Merino, Eze; Nwaneri, Gyökeres, Trossard.
Brighton Team News
A foot problem sustained in the 3–1 win at Chelsea has kept Kaoru Mitoma out of Brighton’s previous three games, including Saturday’s defeat at Old Trafford. Fabian Hürzeler has confirmed the Japanese winger will not return to action on Wednesday night.
James Milner recorded an assist at the weekend, but he’s set to miss the trip to north London because of a “small muscle issue”. Brajan Grada also remains out of action, while Solly March, Jack Hinshelwood and Adam Webster are longer-term absentees.
We must expect the visitors to make a few changes from the Man Utd loss, with the likes of Jason Steele, Diego Coppola and Diego Gómez among the players who could come into the Seagulls’ XI.
Brighton Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal
Brighton predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Steele; Veltman, Coppola, Dunk, De Cuyper; Ayari, Baleba; Minteh, Gómez, Watson; Welbeck.
Arsenal vs. Brighton Score Prediction
Brighton are hoping for a repeat of 2022 on Wednesday night, but they’re facing an Arsenal that boast impressive strength in depth. Heavy rotation is unlikely to cost the Gunners here thanks to the squad they’ve built.
However, if Arteta does make changes, we must expect a competitive cup tie in north London.
Brighton were hurt in transition at the weekend and could struggle against an even more formidable pressing unit on Wednesday. Still, they typically play without inhibition under Hürzeler, and that fearlessness gives them a shot at pulling off the upset. Thus, we’re expecting a game which is separated by the finest of margins—it is, however, hard to bet against the Premier League leaders.
Prediction: Arsenal 2–1 Brighton
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal vs. Brighton: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.