The fourth round of the Carabao Cup continues on Wednesday as Arsenal host Brighton.
The Gunners are -215 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook for this one, with a draw available at +340. Fancy a Brighton upset? The Seagulls are +500 on the moneyline. The game is slated to kick off at 3:45 p.m. ET.
Arsenal vs. Brighton Prediction, Pick
This bet can be found under the “Match Parlays” tab. I have picked Arsenal to win to zero in each of my game predictions for the last three games, and I will continue to do so. The Gunners have conceded three goals in 13 games in all competitions this season, a mind-boggling statistic. They have won each of their last five games without conceding a goal. They sit at the top of the Premier League by four points after only nine games. This team is clearly the best defensive team in the world at the moment, and they have two legitimate quality players at every position along the backline.
There is potential for the Gunners to rotate heavily for this one, but even so, they have one of the deepest squads in the world and plenty of top-class defenders ready to enter the fray. I would expect Kepa Arrizabalaga to start in goal as he did in the third round of this competition, and the Gunners have already ruled out William Saliba. Cristhian Mosquera will likely start in place of Saliba. Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhães could all be rotated out for the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ben White and Piero Hincapié. I don’t think Mikel Arteta will rotate the entire back five, but even if he did, it’s still a formidable defense. If I had to guess, Gabriel will remain in the starting lineup to provide some stability as the Gunners continue to ease in Hincapié from a minor injury to start the season.
Let’s take a look at Brighton. The Seagulls sit 13th in the Premier League after nine games with 12 points, which is not an ideal start. It’s not the end of the world, however, as the table is quite condensed. They find themselves only four points behind fifth-placed Man City. Brighton have scored 14 goals, which is good enough for a top 10 mark in the league. Where they have struggled is defensively, conceding 15 times.
Both of these teams faced League One sides in the third round and will see a huge increase in competition for the fourth round. The Gunners should have too much quality for Brighton all over the pitch, even if they rotate heavily. Give me Arsenal to win this one without conceding a goal for the sixth straight game.
