Brighton vs Arsenal EPL Matchday 30 Odds & Preview

• Brighton’s battle to avoid relegation from the EPL resumes on June 19 with a home game against Arsenal
• The Gunners will be looking to bounce back after a disastrous return to action at Man City
• We’ll preview the game, look at the odds and offer a pick

---

The English Premier League gets into full swing this weekend with a full schedule and, as part of that, Brighton resumes their battle to avoid the drop with a home game against Arsenal on Saturday, June 17, kick-off at 10:00 am EST.

We’ll preview the game, look at their form prior to lockdown, and see if we can find some value for the bettors.

Brighton vs Arsenal EPL Odds

Odds taken June 19

Brighton in Freefall Prior to Lockdown

For Graham Potter’s Brighton, crunch time has arrived three months later than expected. When the lockdown began, the Seagulls were in freefall and nervously looking over their shoulders as teams below them made ground, dragging them into the relegation battle.

So, having had three extra months to prepare for Saturday’s clash with Arsenal at their Amex Stadium, Potter’s men simply have to hit the ground running. They are currently just two points above 18th-placed Bournemouth and defeat by Arsenal and wins for teams below could see them end the weekend in the bottom three.

2020 hasn’t been kind to the Seagulls so far – six draws and three defeats since the turn of the year – and they are without a home win since their victory over Bournemouth back in December. With a tricky-looking run-in too, they need to start picking up some points very soon or the alarm bells will really start ringing.

Seagulls’ Triumph at the Emirates

On the plus side for Brighton, they’ve performed well at the Amex against other teams in the ‘Arsenal’ category, with wins over Tottenham and Everton and a draw against Chelsea, and they did beat the Gunners in the reverse fixture in early January; Neal Maupay scoring a late winner in a 2-1 win.

Brighton vs Arsenal Head-to-Head Stats

For Arsenal, it’s been a generally disappointing campaign but the mood of the club has lifted since December when Mikel Arteta came in as manager to replace Unai Emery. Their performance level too has generally improved as a result and, although Wednesday’s 3-0 capitulation at the Etihad was not the restart they’d hoped for, prior to lockdown they had won four on the spin. As things stand, Arsenal are ninth – four points adrift of the Europa League places.

https://twitter.com/OfficialBHAFC/status/1273966767774273537?s=20

Etihad Heartache for Gunners

Wednesday’s night defeat in Manchester was costly for Arsenal in more ways than. In addition to the heavy defeat, they also picked up injuries to Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari – both in the first half – with these two now joining Cedric Soares and Calum Chambers in the treatment room. Also, David Luiz, Mari’s replacement on Wednesday, is suspended after being sent off; the Brazilian being responsible for two Man City goals in the 25 minutes he was on the pitch, .

The Seagulls are without a win since the turn of the year and are without a home win since their victory over Bournemouth back in December.

Mesut Ozil was also missing from Arteta’s squad on Wednesday, as uncertainty surrounds his north London future, and it’s unclear whether he will feature at Brighton. Other players omitted from the starting XI at the Etihad but who look more likely to feature at the Amex include Nicolas Pepe, Lucas Torreira, Alexandre Lacazette and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

Brighton’s only injury concern is with winger Jose Izquierdo, who looks set to miss out with a knee injury, but otherwise, Potter has a fully fit squad to pick from, with Maupay looking to add to his impressive his eight-goal tally.

Smart Money on the Draw

So, the incentive for Brighton is huge and they’ll be hoping the restart will also act as a reset on what has so far been a disastrous 2020. They simply have to find a win from somewhere to arrest their current slide and, for me, this could be enough to see them get something from the game.

Arsenal though will be still smarting from Wednesday night – and will be desperate not to restart the campaign with back-to-back defeats – so, for me, there is definitely value in betting on the draw at +225.

Pick: Brighton and Arsenal to draw (+225)