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2025-10-29 - Arsenal vs Brighton

A Sports Betting Pick by Auls

Arsenal v Brighton
Football: English League Cup Fourth Round
Wednesday 29th October 2025 - Kick Off 7:45pm
This game is live on TV

Arsenal

Early chances in the second half to extend the lead against Crystal Palace came and went, but this Arsenal team are very confident with the shape and organisation at the back. There were still some nerves and tension with Arsenal holding onto a 1-0 lead in the Premier League, but those were largely contained to the stands and it has proven to be a big weekend for Mikel Arteta and his squad as rivals faltered.

The Premier League and Champions League are clear priorities for Arsenal, but they did reach the League Cup Semi Final last season and have already beaten Port Vale in the Third Round. The Gunners have not won this competition since 1993, when they won both domestic Cups, but they have reached the Quarter Final in 3 of the last 5 seasons.

Arsenal battled to the victory over Crystal Palace and that makes it 7 straight wins in all competitions, which has to be a huge confidence boost for everyone associated with the club. They will be looking for a fifth win in a row at home since the late goal to salvage a draw with Manchester City last month.

Rotation was always going to be in play for the early Rounds of the League Cup, but even more so with players picking up knocks. The likes of William Saliba, Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are unlikely to be risked with two Premier League games and one Champions League fixture to be played before the next international break. Some of the younger members of the squad could also be given a chance to impress.

Brighton

Fans of Brighton Football Club would have looked at Crystal Palace's FA Cup success through envious eyes and they will be hoping that manager Fabian Hurzeler is taking the League Cup and FA Cup very seriously this season. The 4-2 defeat at Old Trafford on Saturday will have hurt, especially considering the performance was not to the level expected, but Brighton have a quick opportunity to make amends.

Ambitions and expectations have grown as Brighton have become more and more established as a Premier League club and they have tended to take the Cup competitions pretty seriously. Since Promotion into the Premier League at the end of the 2017 season, Brighton have reached the FA Cup Quarter Final four times and twice made it through to the Semi Final. However, League Cup success has been limited to reaching the Fourth Round and The Seagulls have not played in the Quarter Final of this competition since 1978/79.

Brighton had been unbeaten in 5 games in all competitions and had won 3 of those before the defeat at Manchester United this past weekend. They had been unbeaten in 3 away games in all competitions before that loss at Old Trafford, while Brighton have won away League Cup ties at Oxford United and Barnsley in the previous two Rounds.

Changes will be made to just freshen up the starting eleven, but this Fourth Round tie will mean plenty to the board and so there should be plenty of familiar faces selected too.

Head to Head

Both Premier League games between Arsenal and Brighton finished 1-1 last season.

Arsenal are unbeaten in the last 2 at the Emirates Stadium against Brighton, although they had lost 3 in a row here against The Seagulls prior to that.

It is a run that includes a home League Cup defeat in the Third Round two seasons ago.

Prediction

You have to say Arsenal are probably a slightly higher price to win this fixture compared to what they would be if this was a Premier League game, but only slightly.

With the changes expected in the home starting eleven, Brighton have to arrive in North London feeling like they have an opportunity to reach the Quarter Final in the League Cup for the first time in over forty years.

Domestic Cup competitions should mean more to Brighton compared with an Arsenal team that look genuine contenders to win the Premier League and Champions League. It is certainly the case in late October when Mikel Arteta will not want to risk key players and that leaves The Gunners vulnerable against a Brighton team that have enjoyed recent visits to the Emirates Stadium.

Brighton have lost just twice in 8 visits to this ground and they can certainly avoid a heavy defeat if the expected changes that the managers will make are confirmed.

League Cup ties can be harder to predict until team news breaks, but the feeling is that this will mean more to Brighton and selections made should highlight that. Even if Arsenal play a stronger than anticipated team, Brighton look a decent price with the start on the Asian Handicap to at least keep this one competitive considering the recent history they have against The Gunners.