Premier League leaders Arsenal will endeavour to end 2022 on a high note when they travel to the Amex to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening.
The Gunners came from behind to beat West Ham United 3-1 on Boxing Day, while the Seagulls got the better of Southampton by the same scoreline on the South Coast.
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A short trip along the South Coast to his former home was a worthwhile journey for ex-Southampton man Adam Lallana, who still kept his celebrations to a minimum when scoring the opening goal at St Mary's - potentially out of sympathy for Gavin Bazunu as much as anything else.
Lallana's header seeped through Bazunu's grasp before Romain Perraud turned into his own net before the break, and Solly March then let fly with a wonderful strike into the top corner before James Ward-Prowse grabbed a late consolation for the Saints.
Roberto De Zerbi had warned Brighton's latest foes to be wary of an "angry" Seagulls XI following their EFL Cup exit at the hands of League One side Charlton Athletic, but by reverting to type in the Premier League, this weekend's hosts remain in European contention in seventh place in the table.
Depending on how Liverpool fare against Leicester City on Friday, Brighton could find themselves entering 2023 in the top six after a memorable calendar year under Graham Potter and De Zerbi, although the latter has already lost two of his four home Premier League games in charge of the Seagulls.
Nevertheless, Brighton's defensive resilience at the Amex is well and truly alive - conceding a mere six goals in Premier League home matches during the 2022-23 season so far - and the Seagulls have established a reputation as Arsenal's bogey team in recent years.
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Thriving under the pressure of filling Gabriel Jesus's boots, Arsenal's number 14 Eddie Nketiah insisted that he did not want to be seen as a replacement for his stricken teammate after completing an eye-catching Gunners turnaround in their London derby with West Ham.
The Premier League leaders had work to do in the second 45 after Said Benrahma's penalty put the Hammers a goal to the good, but Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Nketiah's lovely swivel and finish ensured that the Gunners would pick up where they left off.
Victory over their capital counterparts temporarily allowed Arsenal to steer seven points clear of Newcastle United at the summit; that gap has now been cut back down to five points following Manchester City's success over Leeds United, but Mikel Arteta's men are guaranteed to celebrate New Year's Eve at the top of the table.
The naysayers will point out the fact that Arsenal still have two fixtures against Man City to come, but every other side to hit 40 points after their first 15 Premier League matches of the season has gone on to win the title, and the World Cup break does not appear to have disrupted the runaway leaders' momentum.
Arsenal travel to the Amex having picked up 13 points from the last 15 on offer away from home - conceding a mere one goal in that hot streak - but Brighton overcame a weakened Gunners side 3-1 in the EFL Cup just last month and have only ever suffered one Premier League defeat to the capital club in front of the Amex faithful.
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While De Zerbi was left relatively pleased with his side's performance against Southampton, the Brighton boss expressed frustration at the yellow card to Moises Caicedo, who is now suspended for this match after picking up five bookings this season.
Argentina's World Cup hero Alexis Mac Allister is not due back until the New Year, and De Zerbi has also ruled Adam Webster and ex-Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck out of contention. Jakub Moder, meanwhile, is a long-term absentee.
A first Premier League start of the season should come the way of Billy Gilmour in place of the suspended Caicedo, although Jeremy Sarmiento impressed in EFL Cup action against the Gunners and will pine for another chance to strut his stuff against the North Londoners.
As for Arsenal, Gabriel Jesus (knee) and Reiss Nelson (thigh) remain in the infirmary with no timeline on their returns, but there could be a long-awaited comeback for Emile Smith Rowe following his groin surgery in September.
The injury-plagued Takehiro Tomiyasu will also fight to recover from his latest hamstring strain in time, but there could be a change in the full-back areas anyway, with Oleksandr Zinchenko fit again and ready to challenge Kieran Tierney for the left-back spot.
Martin Odegaard produced a man-of-the-match performance against West Ham and is now aiming to score two or more goals in a Premier League away game for the third time this season - joining an exclusive crowd of Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez to have done so previously for Arsenal.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Colwill, Estupinan; Gilmour, Gross; March, Lallana, Mitoma; Trossard
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Arsenal
Midfield absentees should hit Brighton hard here, with Caicedo and Mac Allister both capable of game-changing moments for the hosts, and the reintroduction of Zinchenko would nullify the Seagulls' engine room qualities even further.
De Zerbi's side are still no pushovers on their own turf and can feel confident of troubling the Arsenal backline, but Arteta's ruthless side ought to expose a weakened Brighton base to record a 14th win of the Premier League season.
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