Jurrien Timber received his fifth yellow card of the season during Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Brentford. As a result, the Dutch defender will serve a one-match suspension.

Timber’s absence is a significant blow, as he is Arsenal’s only fully fit right-back. Both Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are sidelined with injuries. Arsenal has previously relied on Thomas Partey and Riccardo Calafiori to fill in at right-back when necessary.

On the bright side, Arsenal will welcome back Kai Havertz for the Brighton match. The German international missed the game against Brentford due to illness. Manager Mikel Arteta revealed that the squad faced a wave of sickness at the start of the new year.

When asked whether the illness had affected the squad on matchday, Arteta said: “It affected players both on and off the pitch. While it wasn’t anything serious, it was far from ideal. Havertz was the most visibly affected. He felt unwell and displayed significant symptoms. As a result, we had to isolate him, put him in a car, and send him back to London immediately.”

Arteta added: “During this period, challenges like viruses and bacteria are inevitable. That’s why I delay announcing the starting lineup as late as possible, since you can wake up to unpleasant surprises.”

Despite missing key attacking players, Arsenal managed to rally against Brentford, narrowing Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table to six points. However, Liverpool still have a game in hand, maintaining a strong advantage.