Chris Sutton is wary of what Declan Rice’s injury doubts could mean for Arsenal when they face Brighton at the Amex on Wednesday night.
Arsenal will be looking to make it three consecutive wins in the Premier League for the first time in 2026 when they visit the coast on matchday 29.
After beating Tottenham and Chelsea in back-to-back London derbies, the Gunners head outside of the capital in a bid to bring three points back to N5.
Sutton predicted that Arsenal would beat Chelsea, and his call was correct. Now, Gooners will hope that the pundit’s latest prediction is as accurate.
Some mixed memories at the Amex: Predict the score against Arsenal and Brighton on matchday 29!
Chris Sutton is worried about Declan Rice’s injury doubt when Arsenal face Brighton
Taking to his BBC column, Sutton has predicted the outcome of matchday 29’s fixtures, including Arsenal’s trip to the Amex.
After the Chelsea win, Sutton asked whether Arsenal could become the ‘ugliest Premier League winning team in history’, so it was unsurprising to hear the pundit predict that the Brighton clash won’t be easy.
“This game won’t be easy. Declan Rice is an injury doubt for the Gunners, and Brighton have just picked up back-to-back wins, with Danny Welbeck scoring in both.”
Rice suffered an injury against Chelsea, making him a doubt ahead of facing Brighton, which Sutton worries about.
Though Arsenal are assessing Rice’s fitness ahead of the clash, Sutton still believes the Gunners will have enough to win the game regardless of the midfielder’s availability.
“I still think Arsenal will find a way to win it,” he said, predicting a final score of 2-1 in Arsenal’s favour.
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Mikel Arteta must implement midfield change against Brighton
While Sutton’s concerns about Rice’s availability are valid, Arsenal have the means to cope without their star player.
That being said, there is a problem for Arteta in that, alongside Rice’s fitness, there are conversations to be had about Martin Zubimendi, who has been poor.
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It’s unsurprising that Zubimendi has looked sluggish, as he’s played more football than any of Arsenal’s outfield players this season.
The issue for the Arsenal manager is that both Rice and Zubimendi need rest, but he can’t afford to have both miss out.
If Rice is available to start, he should partner Christian Norgaard instead of Zubimendi, and if he is not, then Norgaard will accompany the Spaniard after all.
The fatigue in Arsenal’s midfield only hammers home why Arteta wanted to bring a midfielder in during the January transfer window.
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