Brighton vs. Arsenal picks, odds, bets

It isn’t surprising to see Manchester City, Arsenal or Liverpool with an unblemished record through the first two weeks of the Premier League season, but it is certainly interesting to see Brighton & Hove Albion with six points and a +5 goal difference considering the Seagulls have a new manager (the youngest in the Premier League, no less) and had to deal with a couple of tough fixtures out of the gates.

Brighton smashed Everton, 3-0, on the road in its opener and then followed that up with a last-gasp 2-1 win over Manchester United at home last weekend.

Things don’t get any easier for Fabian Hurzeler’s side this week as it takes a trip to the Emirates to take on Arsenal.

The Gunners are prohibitive -285 favorites in Saturday’s early morning kickoff, but there are some signs pointing to this being a pretty difficult day at the office for Arsenal.

Brighton vs. Arsenal prediction

Priced as the second-favorite before the season began, Arsenal has given no reason to doubt its status as one of the best teams in the world out of the gates in this new campaign.

The Gunners swatted aside Wolves in their opener without much fuss and then navigated a tricky fixture with Aston Villa in Matchweek 2.

Arsenal was certainly a bit fortunate to keep the clean sheet against the Villans, but it would be nitpicky to say the Gunners don’t deserve their perfect record so far.

They took control of the match at Villa Park in the second half and were able to nose ahead with a goal in 66th minute.

Arsenal is incredibly difficult to peg back when you fall behind, so it’s not a surprise that it was able to double their lead and get that victory over the line. It was formulaic.

It would be very surprising if things are that tidy against this exciting Brighton outfit.

The Seagulls are loaded with pace, talent and creativity and their new manager has taken the brakes off this bunch to great effect so far.

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Brighton ran rampant over Everton in their opening match and then was a deserving winner against Manchester United.

Brighton’s attack has been the story so far and its first two opponents seemed to struggle with the pace of the Seagulls, especially out wide.

Pulling Arsenal, one of the most well-drilled sides in Europe, off the tracks will be difficult, but I think Brighton is able to ask enough questions of the Gunners to justify a play on the underdog at these prices.

The Bet: Brighton (+650, DraftKings)