Our Carabao Cup journey continues as we take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth round at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday (7.45pm, UK).
Eberechi Eze scored his first goal for us in a 2-0 victory over Port Vale in the previous round, and we now face the Seagulls in what will be our 250th match in the competition.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side, who sit 13th in the Premier League after losing 4-2 to Manchester United at Old Trafford last time out, are aiming to reach the quarter-finals of this tournament for the first time since 1978.
free scoring seagulls
Brighton have netted 14 times in nine Premier League matches this season, which is just two more than the 12 they’ve scored in two Carabao Cup matches to date. Five of those goals have been scored by 22-year-old Paraguay international Diego Gomez, who was signed from Inter Miami in January. After being one of five different goalscorers during a 6-0 win at Oxford United in round two, the attacking midfielder made headlines with a stunning four-goal salvo in another 6-0 success at Barnsley.
Two of his strikes in that contest were simply sensational, driving the ball into the top corner from long range. His hat-trick goal, a 35-yard swerving effort, is sure to be remembered as one of the best goals of the season. Harry Howell and Yasin Ayari bagged the other two to set up a clash in N5 in the last 16.
Stefanos Tzimas, Brajan Gruda, Tom Watson, Diego Coppola and Harry Howell have all caught the eye in those two games, and it’ll be interesting to see if they get another chance to impress in north London.
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When we played Brighton five times in five months
what the managers say
Arteta: “I think Fabian has added something slightly different. They’re a very well-prepared team, very difficult to beat them, you’ve seen the results against the big teams as well. So we expect a really tough match.
“It’s a competition that we haven’t won in many, many years, and it has to start tomorrow. We have to play a great game in order to be able to beat a very good Brighton side, we know that, we are prepared for that, and we have to show it on the pitch.” – every word from Mikel’s pre-match press conference
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Every word from Arteta’s pre-Brighton presser
Hurzeler: “We must have belief in our quality, belief in our style of play, belief that we can beat every team if we do the basic things right.
“The table tells the truth, they [Arsenal] are doing very well. Very good out of possession, very good at set pieces; so I think these are two factors that make them so successful. Very disciplined, I think everyone attacks the box, everyone defends the box, very effective with set pieces so, it will be a big challenge for us tomorrow.”
Team news
Following our victory over Crystal Palace, Mikel Arteta has revealed that William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli will miss the match against Brighton.
However, Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka are all fit, after all three were substituted during our 1-0 win against the Eagles.
As for our visitors, James Milner has been ruled out after picking up an injury against Manchester United, while Kaoru Mitoma (ankle), Joel Veltman (calf) and Brajan Gruda (knee) are all doubts.
Jack Hinshelwood has been ruled out with an ankle injury, with Solly March and Adam Webster long-term absentees.
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Arteta’s updates on Rice, Saliba and Calafiori
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: Hurzeler is locked in with a 4-2-3-1 formation, using it in every match this season. In possession, it can look like a 3-3-4 or 4-2-4, but the Seagulls’ starting point is always that preferred shape. Hurzeler’s men look better suited to a transitional style, and averaging 46.8% possession, Hurzeler is far less interested in controlling matches than his predecessors and instead focuses on developing a pressing game.
Brighton make the second-most pressed sequences, boast the third-lowest passes per defensive action and have created 13 shots from high turnovers – the highest figure of any Premier League team. Snappy in the tackle, well organised and athletic enough to pounce on turnovers quickly, Brighton are set up to turn defence into attack in the blink of an eye.
Brighton have scored in all but one game, so their consistent goal threat is a major strength. Ranked fifth for expected goals, they can unsettle anyone on their day. Yankuba Minteh, a vibrant and destructive presence on the right wing, has been in phenomenal form during 2025/26, and with seven successful crosses is somebody that needs to be closed down tightly, as does flying left-back Ferdi Kadioglu.
Hurzeler’s side have been slow starters in league action, suffering a -4 goal difference up until half-time. Better at coming on strong, 80% of their Premier League strikes have come in the second half. Brighton must also improve at breaking down sides that allow them possession. Since the start of 2024/25 they have averaged 1.05 points per game when having over 50% possession. By contrast, when they have the minority share, the Seagulls average 2.33 points.
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Arsenal to reach 250 League Cup matches
match officials
Sam Barrott will be the man in the middle for the contest in N5, and will be assisted by Wade Smith and Akil Howson.
Barrott has taken charge of five of our games in his career, and we’ve come out on top in each match when he’s had the whistle, the last of which was a 2-0 win at Leicester City back in February. James Linington will be the fourth official, with VAR not in use at this stage of the competition. The match will go straight to penalties if the scores are level at 90 minutes.
Referee: Sam Barrott
Assistants: Wade Smith, Akil Howson
Fourth official: James Linington
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The best training snaps ahead of Brighton tie
Our record against brighton
Brighton head to north London looking for a first win against us since May 2023, when they prevailed 3-0 at Emirates Stadium.
Since then, we did the double over the Seagulls in 2023/24, winning 2-0 at home thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, before producing a commanding 3-0 victory at the Amex Stadium, courtesy of a Bukayo Saka penalty plus second-half goals from Havertz and Leandro Trossard.
Last season, neither side could force a victory, with both fixtures in the Premier League finishing 1-1. The last time we faced Brighton in this competition was in December 2022, when the visitors won 3-1.
live coverage
Make sure you tune into Live From N5 from an hour before kick-off to soak up the pre-match atmosphere and get hyped for this Carabao Cup clash!
Timbsy and Jeremie Aliadiere will be on hand to guide you through all the fun and games as we count down to kick-off, and they will be joined by musician Finn Askew. More Gooners will be put to the test in Arsenal Mastermind and the Celebration Game, while another Hero of the Week will be chosen, as will another inductee into the Live From N5 Hall of Fame.
Then at kick-off, Dan Roebuck will be joined by Adrian Clarke for live commentary, so check it out!
You can also find out which broadcaster is showing the action live, wherever you are in the world.
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How to watch Arsenal v Brighton on TV
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