Chris Sutton reveals his Brighton v Arsenal prediction

Chris Sutton is tipping Brighton to claim a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in their final Premier League game of the year on Saturday night.

Arsenal are currently five points clear at the top of the English top flight following their 3-1 comeback win over West Ham United at The Emirates on Boxing Day.

Their lead over Manchester City could be cut down to two points by the time they kick off at the Amex on Saturday, with Pep Guardiola’s side hosting Everton earlier in the afternoon.

Brighton have been in solid form this season, with the Seagulls having won seven of their 15 Premier League games to leave them in seventh place in the table heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures.

Arsenal will once again be without the injured Gabriel Jesus, with Eddie Nketiah likely to again lead the line for the Gunners on New Year’s Eve.

However, former Chelsea FC star Sutton feels that the Gunners are likely to feel the absence of their talismanic Brazilian forward on Saturday, and is tipping Brighton to claim the victory.

Writing in his column for BBC Sport, Sutton said: “What a game this will be. If Arsenal go to Brighton and win then that will be a sign that they can go all the way and win the title.

“It was massive for the Gunners that Eddie Nketiah scored in their win over West Ham, and he took his goal really well too, but this is a big test of their resolve, and the sort of game where they will miss the injured Gabriel Jesus.

“Brighton knocked Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup earlier in the season but they actually have a decent record against them in the Premier League in recent years, and beat them at Emirates Stadium in April.

“I’m going for another Seagulls success here, although the way they play means Arsenal will have chances.”

Arsenal have drawn lots of praise for the way they have started the season, with the Gunners having only dropped points in two games so far this term.

Gunners attacker Gabriel Martinelli – who has netted six goals and made two assists in the league this term – feels that Arsenal’s team spirit has been a key driving force behind their recent success.

“Our mentality is out best quality,” Martinelli told FourFourTwo. “We have a young team, but age is not everything and our mentality is amazing. We go into every game with the same mentality to win; everyone can see the team’s spirit.

“You can see the way we love each other – the way we want to help each other on the pitch.”